Opposites
by Useful Oxymoron
Summary: ShionxChikaru, eventual ShizumaxKaori. When a young Chikaru starts her first year at Lulim, she could never have suspected that a chance encounter in the forest could have such an effect on the rest of her life. Contains shoujo'ai, naturally.
1. Chapter 1 : School Starts

Hello everyone,

Some time ago, I started writing about Chikaru being in love with Shion and vice versa. At the time, Lestaki challenged me to write about the beginning of their relationship, from start to finish. The idea simmered for a while in my mind, but now it's finally put to paper. I actually wanted to finish Summer Holiday before posting this, but seeing I already had the first chapter done, I figured I might as well post it.

This story won't be of the same epic length as Lestaki's wonderful Astraea Lake, but expect to see all the Stopani characters we know and love when they were still young students at the Hill. Eventually all of the characters will be making an appearance. I'm also looking forward to exploring the Shizuma and Kaori relationship, but seeing we start out in Chikaru's first year, that won't turn up until couple of chapters. I hope you'll enjoying reading this story.

DISCLAIMER : I don't own anything. Neither Stopani or Pulp Fiction. There's also some swearing in this chapter, due to Shizuma. But I assure you, it's all in context. :)

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**Opposites**

Chapter 1 : School starts

Minamoto Chikaru sat in the back of her father's car, watching the trees pass by as the car made its way to one of the most prestigious schools in all of Japan. Astraea Hill was ahead, and so was an entirely new beginning.

Her father was talking constantly, as was her mother. Chikaru only listened with half an ear: she knew her parents longer than today. They were nervous and somewhat sad, so they talked non-stop.

In sharp contrast, Chikaru was excited. And a little scared, but mostly excited. She had taken a tour at the end of the school year to visit Lulim, and really liked what she saw. But even though she definitely knew she was going to have a wonderful time experiencing new things, there was the double feeling of leaving her family and friends behind.

Through hard work in school and all the socially oriented extra curricular activities, she had won a prestigious scholarship at Lulim, one of the three schools of the Hill. She had applied for the scholarship, as she had for many scholarships. Though the Minamoto's weren't poor, they certainly weren't wealthy enough to pay for the higher echelons of Japanese education, after all. She had never expected to win any of them, least of all the most prestigious one of the lot.

Nevertheless, it had forced her to make one of the most difficult decisions in her life. She had intended to go to school in her hometown, but Lulim was on the other side of Japan, meaning she'd have to leave her family behind and live in the dorm. It had caused her many sleepless nights, but in the end this scholarship was an opportunity for her she could not let pass by.

She had already said a very tearful goodbye to her two little brothers Kisho and Tomo, but she knew she would see them again when her parents would visit her next month and take them with them for the visit.

What belongings she had wanted to bring with her had already been shipped to the Strawberry Dorms. The only thing she dreaded now was the goodbye itself. No more shopping with her mom on a lazy saturday afternoon. No more watching Gundam with her dad on weekends. No more hanging out at the Mosburger with her friends. No more... No more...

Chikaru willed herself to stop thinking in such negative terms. There'd be plenty of opportunities in the time to come.

A mere five minutes later, the car pulled to a stop at a small parking lot outside the main gate of Astraea Hill and Chikaru found herself standing in front of her parents. Her kindly dad and her doting mom... She already felt tears sting her eyes.

"Mom," she whispered and found herself in a fierce embrace.

"Take care of yourself, Chikaru-chan," her mother sniffed. "Be sure to eat well and behave. We'll come visit you as soon as we can."

"Dad," she whispered when it was her father's turn.

"Chikaru-chan!" she found herself in a fierce bear-hug of an embrace, and Chikaru realized that her father was sobbing. "If anything happens... anything... If you want to come home, just call. I don't care if it's the middle of the night. Just call and we'll come and get you. We love you, sweetie."

"I love you guys too," Chikaru replied and said her tearful goodbyes.

And then they were gone. Chikaru watched the car leave, and remained standing there for a moment after the car was out of sight. It was then that the reality of her situation really started to sink in. But though she was sad, she was eager to explore the school that would be her home for the next six years.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the gates was all the bustle. When she had come her for the first time with her parents for the introductory tour, most students had already left for home or vacation, but now... the entrance beyond the gate was alive with all manner of sprightly girls of all schools and years. So much that Chikaru herself was stunned.

She smiled as a stately six-year of Miator strolled by, looking so incredibly stately in her black uniform. A group of white-uniformed Spica fourth-years stood near the edge of the road, chatting animatedly about older students. Another group of Lulim students, second years by the look of them, were sitting in the grass playing some sort of trading card game. More Lulim students, older ones, were running back and forth between the groups of students carrying around some sort of petition for some upcoming school party, though she didn't catch the details.

There were two students, however, two Spican first years, whom she made a mental note to try to avoid. One was a tomboyish tall girl with flowing long black hair down to her hips. The other was a brown haired girl with a mischievous look on her face. They practically radiated arrogance as they surveyed their new surroundings. 'Here we are now. ENTERTAIN US!' their expressions seemed to convey.

The uniforms they were wearing seemed so beautiful... from the beige sweater with the red bow-tie, to the plaid skirt and the high socks. Chikaru felt slightly out of place, seeing she hadn't received her uniform yet. She was wearing a simple black skirt and white shirt, after all.

She was of two minds to join the Lulim students to meet them, but she made her decision when she saw the forest beyond. A city girl at heart, she had few opportunities to explore such a fantastic forest. And she did had some time to kill before she had to report to the Dorms.

And so, Chikaru entered the forest, enjoying the coolness and the gentle breeze. Such nice smells too. Clean air, the sun breaking through the canopy. Bliss. It wasn't long until she didn't hear anything aside from the chattering of birds, the voices of the excited girls long behind her.

And soon enough, Chikaru found herself to be hopelessly lost.

Still, it was a rather nice place to be lost. And it was not as if this forest was all TOO big. If she just kept walking straight ahead, she had to run into a fence or a gate or possibly the road. Astraea Hill was an enclosed environment.

However, it turned out that the forest was bigger than she had expected. After about 30 minutes of walking, there was still no sight of a fence or a road. She passed a large lake as some point and then more forest.

But when she passed the same lake again, she realized she'd been walking in circles. Chikaru stopped at a fork in the path for a moment and picked the left direction, hoping she'd arrive somewhere else now.

Time passed again. And still no buildings in sight. Until... she definitely heard someone nearby. She stood still and listened for a moment. Yes, she definitely heard someone! Chikaru ran to the source of the voice and found a single girl muttering to herself.

"So, of course, why wouldn't it be... If I am there, and the lake is here, I should be able to see the dorms from here. But I can't? Why can't I? Because this map is useless, that's why! Useless!"

Chikaru frowned, but was happy to find someone else wandering about. Maybe this girl knew where she had to go. She pushed herself through the underbrush and saw a blonde girl with a high forehead peering intently at a piece of paper. The girl was dressed in a white skirt and a light sweater, signifying she was a first-year student of Spica Academy for girls.

"Uhm, hello," Chikaru greeted carefully.

"Aah!" the other girl started, dropped the paper and stepped backwards. And as she stepped backwards, she tripped over a branch and landed straight on her butt.

"Oh!" Chikaru gasped and rushed to her. "Goodness, are you hurt?"

The girl looked up and shook her head. "No," she said as she picked herself up and dusted off her uniform.

"I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Chikaru said.

"It's okay," the girl said as she walked over to the fallen paper and scooped it up. "Dammit, where IS it?"

"Um," Chikaru spoke and bowed slightly. "I'm Minamoto Chikaru. Who are you?"

The girl looked confused for a moment, but then remembered herself. "Oh, um, I am, um, Toumori Shion, Minamoto-san. Pleased to meet you."

"Please, call me Chikaru-chan. Everybody does," Chikaru smiled sweetly.

Shion nodded. "Call me Shion, then."

"Alright, Shion-san. Pleased to meet you," Chikaru said.

Shion divided her attention between the map and Chikaru for a moment. Without saying a word, the blonde girl started walking. Chikaru quickly stepped up and followed her into the seemingly random direction she was headed in.

"What school are you from? Or are you a visitor?" Shion asked while stopping at an area with heavy underbrush. She muttered something about a machete not being allowed on school grounds and checked the map for a way around it.

"Hm?" Chikaru replied. "No, no, no, I've enrolled in Lulim. Today is my first day at Astraea Hill."

Shion smiled for a moment. "I figured you'd be in Lulim. You're the type."

Chikaru stopped for a moment to ponder that statement, but quickly caught up with Shion when she realized the other girl had kept walking. "What do you mean, Shion-san?" Chikaru asked.

"I'm not surprised you don't know what I mean," Shion said. "Lulim is the newest school of the three, and a laid-back and undisciplined attitude is the norm there. The students there have way too much freedom and too little guidance. Even the school building is pink... that should tell you something. You seem like the type to fit in there."

Chikaru frowned but didn't rise to the bait. "So how is Spica different, then?"

Shion stopped in her tracks and gazed upon the sky for a moment. A wistful look was in her eyes as she smiled slightly. "Spica is... wonderful. The entire curriculum is aimed at teaching girls to be independent in a disciplined environment. Spica teaches girls to excel and allows them to live to their full potential. Spica has given Japan women who can and have played active roles in society for the past two hundred years!"

Chikaru raised an eyebrow and wasn't entirely pleased with Shion attitude. Still, there was a passion in Shion's voice that Chikaru couldn't ignore. She gathered that Shion must have been looking forward to go to Spica for some time now.

"I suppose you must be speaking from experience," Chikaru said. "How many years have you spent at the Hill, then?" She hadn't intended to say it quite so harshly, but Chikaru wasn't about to let the other girl get away with so much attitude.

Shion apparently got the hint and blushed slightly. "Well, uhm, this, uhm... is my first day."

"Ah," Chikaru smiled.

Shion didn't miss a beat, though, and already had a retort ready. "But girls from the Toumori family have been attending Spica for nine generations! My mother was council member on the Spica student council and my grandmother, the grand matriarch of our family... she's Toumori Tsuyuri, who was student council president and brought about many reforms to Spica during her reign. Every single female member of my family has left her stamp on Spica and, well... Now I'm here too."

Chikaru nodded in understanding. "That's a lot of pressure on you."

Shion's smiled faded for a moment. "Well... maybe. But I know that I will do well in Spica."

"Um, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Where are we exactly?" Chikaru looked around and saw they were standing on a rather darkened forest pass. There were no sounds of voices within earshot, nor any other sounds save for the rusting of leaves.

Shion sighed deeply and sat down on a fallen log. "I'd tell you, if I knew. I've been walking around for an hour now and I've still to find it. I thought I saw a short-cut on the map and I fancied a stroll through the forest, but... this map is inaccurate, I tell you! If I follow the directions on this map to the letter, the Strawberry Dorms should be right where we're standing. And obviously, it's not. Unless it's an underground dorm, which I doubt."

Chikaru smiled and sat down next to her. "Well, maybe we could look for it together. Two heads are better than one, Shion-san."

Shion fished a small pocket-knife from her inside pocket and flipped out a small travelling compass. She checked the map, and then the compass. "Dammit!" she said. " We should be able to see the Cathedral from here. I think my compass is busted."

Chikaru looked over Shion's shoulder and noticed just what was wrong. "Uhm, Shion-san. I think your compass is working fine, but.."

"But what?" Shion narrowed her eyes. "How do you know?"

"You're holding the map upside down."

Shion froze. She stood still like a statue.

"See?" Chikaru said. "See the navigational star? The way you're holding the map, N is pointing down while it's supposed to point up."

The was no sound from Shion, only her even breathing. A slight but steady blush started to form on Shion's cheeks, making Chikaru feel bad about having confronted her with her mistake. Shion tossed the map on the ground and moved to a fallen log at the side of the path where she sat down.

"It's all going wrong... It's all going wrong..." Shion started crying softly.

Chikaru sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey," she whispered softly. "It's okay. I'm sure they'll find us. This forest isn't big."

"It's not that," Shion sniffed. "I... I wanted to make a good impression on my first day. I... I wanted to show Spica what I'm made of and... now we've missed introductions, the tour and the welcome speech by the Etoiles. And what is everybody going to say when they lift us from the forest after being lost for an entire day?"

"I think they'll say that they're glad to have found us. That they're glad that we're safe."

Shion was torn between laughter and tears. "Lulim might, but not Spica," she sniffed. "Look at us, we're pathetic, Chikaru-chan. Lost in a tiny fenced off forest. We'll be the laughing stock of the entire school for as long as we'll be here. Everyone good you do is negated by one foul-up. I... I so much wanted to make a good impression on my first day... And now..."

Chikaru tried to offer Shion her most encouraging smile. "Shion-san. Think more positive thoughts."

"Positive?" Shion scoffed. "What is there to be positive about? How could this mess have ANY positive side at all?"

"There is one," Chikaru said. "At least for me."

"Because... why? Pray tell," Shion challenged.

"Because I've only been at this new school for a couple of hours, and I've already made a new friend," Chikaru smiled.

Shion was shocked enough to stop her sobbing. "W-what? Do you really want to be my friend, Chikaru-chan?"

"Yes," Chikaru replied. "I like you. Is that so strange?"

"Well..."

"You don't have many friends, do you?"

"I like being alone. It's not problem for me."

"You... do have friends, don't you?"

Shion looked away. "It's not a problem. I like being alone." The message was clear.

Chikaru nodded. "In that case, I'm honored to be your very first friend."

Shion scoffed. "I'm not some charity-case, Chikaru-chan. I know nobody likes me. You don't have to pretend to make me feel better."

"I like you," Chikaru smiled. "And I never say anything I don't mean. I'd like us to be friends. Friends help each other, like we're doing now. Friends talk to each other, like we're doing now. Friends encourage each other, like we're doing now. See, we're already friends! Why wouldn't anyone like you?"

Shion seemed taken aback, but Chikaru had a fair idea what was going on. Shion, being a member of a rather rich family with aristocratic roots, no doubt had a very sheltered upbringing and was possibly home-schooled by tutors. Not the best environment to meet new friends and have fun. And at that moment, Chikaru promised herself she would cheer up Shion and be the best friend she could be for her. If Shion would let her.

"Chikaru-chan?" Shion replied. "Would you like to call me... Shion-chan?"

"Of course... Shion-chan," Chikaru smiled while she took Shion's hand as the blonde girl got up from the log. Together, the girls set out to find their way out of the forest.

"If we just keep walking straight ahead, we're sure to run into a fence. From there, were just follow the fence to the school. You got your compass right?"

"Right," Shion said with renewed vigor. "We'll do it together."

And the girls walked. And walked. And walked. Through the green forest, which looked less welcoming with every single step. Until...

"Listen," Chikaru said. "Don't you hear?"

Shion listened intently for a moment. Above the chattering of the birds or the singing of the cicadas, she could hear... "Voices!" she said.

Immediately, the two girls ran towards the source of the voices in hopes of finally finding a way out of the forest.

"I can't believe you got away with that," one girl in the distance said.

"I had a little chat with the teacher, that's all. It's not as if she specified what was unacceptable for class," the other girl spoke with humor in her voice. "She specifically said we were free to choose whatever we wanted to read for English class. And you can't say it wasn't classic."

"That is not what I consider classic, Shizuma," the first girl spoke. "Shakespeare is classic. Chaucer is classic. Tolkien is classic. What you chose was..."

"Only the cult film of the nineties. Come on, Miyuki, not only literature can be classic," the girl called Shizuma replied and scraped her throat. "DESCRIBE WHAT MARCELLUS WALLACE LOOKS LIKE!" the girl called Shizuma shouted in English. "SAY 'WHAT' AGAIN! SAY 'WHAT' AGAIN! I DARE YOU, I DOUBLE DARE YOU, MOTHERFCKER. SAY 'WHAT' ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME!"

At that moment, Shion and Chikaru burst through the bushes and onto the dirt road which the other girls were traversing. Their uniforms identified them as Miator students. Miyuki's expression was one of surprise, while Shizuma merely seemed bemused. It was then that Chikaru took in the sight of them. The short-haired Miyuki looked to be friendly, but stern, but Chikaru found herself being involuntary drawn to the girl besides her.

Shizuma was an exceptionally well-developed girl for her age, with silver hair that was long enough to reach her backside, even when pinned up. She had the most piercing amber eyes, and carried herself with a grace and elegance that belied her self-confidence. Still, her expression was friendly and inviting, and the smile on her face showed her jovial mood perfectly. There was an air of mystery surrounding her, and Chikaru found herself blushing without knowing a reason for it.

"My, my," Shizuma smiled. "New students."

Shion gasped and bowed deeply. Though not of her school, she recognized these student as second-years and upperclassmen. She knocked Chikaru back into reality by nudging her. Chikaru started and did the same.

"Toumori Shion!"

"Minamoto Chikaru!"

"Please help us."

"We are lost."

The two first years bowed deeply while Shizuma and Miyuki exchanged a look.

"Come, come," Shizuma said. "No need for such formality. We're not much older than you are."

"Please," Miyuki said and matched the bow. "Rokujou Miyuki."

"Hanazono Shizuma," Shizuma added. "Now, quit bowing before you topple forward into the dirt."

The two girls looked grateful and looked the older girls in the eye.

"Don't mind Shizuma L. Jackson over here," Miyuki said. "We've just had English class and the teacher had given us an assignment to find an English text of our choosing and read it to the class to test our diction."

Shizuma crossed her arms defiantly. "Everybody loved my selection!"

"Yes, well," Miyuki huffed. "When the teacher requested us to choose excerpts from the English language, I didn't think she expected to hear lines from Pulp Fiction."

"But she didn't say we couldn't," Shizuma smirked. "ENGLISH, MOTHERFCKER! DO YOU SPEAK IT? Jules is so cool..."

"Shizuma!" Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "Enough 'mothers' have been 'fu... funked' today, wouldn't you agree? Besides, you're frightening these young first years."

Shion and Chikaru exchanged a look. These two girls were certainly strange, but they seemed harmless so far.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Miyuki asked. "You look like you could use something to eat."

"Miyuki..." Shizuma stressed. Apparently, she had other plans for lunch, but Miyuki dismissed her with a simple glare.

Miyuki smirked at her friend. "Don't worry, Shizuma. Konoko-san won't mind, seeing she worships the ground you walk on. As do Karin-chan and Sei-san. At least they won't fight for the privilege of having lunch with you if you're occupied with these first years."

"Well, that's true... maybe I should play hard to get today. Alright, it's a deal."

"Thank you, Hanazono-sempai, Rokujou-sempai," Shion bowed. Chikaru did the same. "Please take good care of us."

"Laying it on a little thick, hm?" Shizuma said while she lead the others towards what would be the way to the Dorms. "Say, do you like Pulp Fiction?"

"Shizuma..." Miyuki hissed.

"DOES HE LOOK LIKE A BITCH?" Shizuma shouted in English. "DOES. HE. LOOK. LIKE. A. BITCH?"

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Thankfully, Shizuma and Miyuki knew the way back to the school. And embarrassingly enough, Shion and Chikaru had been walking around the lake in circles the whole time. When the girls set foot on the campus, it was Shion who was the most embarrassed. She blushed deeply, kept her head load and avoided looking at any of the other girls. Chikaru was simply happy to be back at the campus.

Though the second years already had classes today, the first years had not. For the first years, today was mostly introduction and meet-and-greet, so technically they hadn't missed anything important. It was hard for Chikaru to convince Shion of that, though.

"I think you'll be pretty popular in Spica, Shion," Shizuma spoke while looking over her shoulder.

"Hm?" Shion whispered softly.

"You see, every year the senior students of all three schools hold something like a betting pool," Miyuki explained while the four girls were walking into the Dorms and ended up in the cafeteria. Miyuki explained further when the girls took their seats in a nearby booth. "Every year, first-years inevitably get lost in the forest. The girl who is lost in the forest the longest 'wins', and since the student body of every school bet on themselves, well... Let's just say that you've just made a lot of girls at Spica very happy, Shion-san."

Shion blinked. And blinked again. "Really?" she asked with a tiny voice.

"Yes," Shizuma smirked. "I remember overhearing from the Miator first-year welcoming committee that the two of you were the only ones still missing from the roster."

"Overheard?" Miyuki narrowed her eyes, but her smile spoke of subtle humor. "Karin-chan is on the Miator first-year welcoming committee, is she not?"

Shizuma grinned back. "You'd be surprised how much you overhear when you're making out in a broomcloset. In any case, you're this years winner. A shared position. We don't often have that."

"It's okay," Chikaru said. "Shizuma-sempai, Miyuki-sempai, I have a favor to ask. Could you tell everyone that you found me wandering the forest first and that you found Shion-chan later? Then Shion-chan will get all the credit for Spica."

"Chikaru-chan..." Shion whispered.

"It's important to you to leave a good impression at Spica, Shion-chan," Chikaru smiled. "I wouldn't be a good friend if I wouldn't do my best to help you with that."

Shizuma and Miyuki shared a look. The four them ordered a small bento and ate it over some introductory conversation for fifteen minutes or so.

"Shizuma," Miyuki said. "It's about time we return to class."

"Back to boredom and slavery," Shizuma sighed heavily. "Oh, well. It was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see you around. Oh, Chikaru-chan? If you see Sei-chan in Lulim, tell her I'll be meeting her tonight in the usual place. She'll understand the message."

Chikaru was confused, especially when Shizuma added a sly wink to her request. She wondered what the Silver-haired girl with the intense eyes could possibly mean. She did see that Miyuki was slightly annoyed at this request. It was barely visible, but there.

"I promise."

"Good," Shizuma took Chikaru's hand for a moment. So soft, so incredibly soft. Even Shizuma's touch was overpowering. "I'll talk to you later," Shizuma added while she and Miyuki got up from their seats and said their goodbyes.

When Chikaru and Shion were left alone, Shion turned to Chikaru and smiled. "Chikaru-chan," Shion said. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did," Chikaru smiled. "You needed your moment of glory more than I did."

"D-do you really want to be my friend?" Shion asked. "For real? No joke?"

"For real," Chikaru smiled at Shion's thinly veiled excitement at having made a friend. "Though we should probably get to our schools now."

Shion seemed disappointed. "I guess."

"Don't worry," Chikaru said. "We'll meet again soon. But we shouldn't go into the forest without our sempais anytime soon."

Shion chuckled for a moment. "No, we shouldn't. We really shouldn't."

And so Shion and Chikaru said their goodbyes and promised to meet each other again very soon. Chikaru remained in the cafeteria for a moment after Shion had left. It'd been an odd day for her: she'd started living in a strange school with strange people, away from her parents. She got lost in the forest, and made a nice new friend. Not to mention she had found two potential friends in the two nice sempais that she had met.

**

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**

All in all, it was a good day. And her adventures at Astraea Hill were only just beginning.

Thanks for reading. Next updated will be Summer Holiday. :)


	2. Chapter 2 : So many girls!

It's been a while since I've updated Opposites, apologies for that. I wanted to concentrate on finishing Summer Holiday first and several things came up along the way. In any case, I hope you'll enjoy. :)

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**Opposites**

Chapter 2 : So Many Girls!

After only one day of school, Chikaru already knew she was going to have a wonderful time. A few hours of Lulim could make even the most cynical people in the world believe in humanity again. The girls there were so nice and there was always a bustle of activities at the academy.

Even the teachers were overenthusiastic. There were all manner of materials available to work with in art class and no idea was too crazy. There were loud explosions and clouds of smoke wafting through the hallways coming from the science department and excessive overacting and subsequent endless giggling from the drama stage.

And the clubs. The clubs! Club life in Lulim was almost infinitely diverse and experimentation was encouraged. Clubs ranged from cooking to Gundam modelling to cosplay to butterfly collecting. Chikaru had checked the club roster, but was overwhelmed by the sheer possibilities.

Nobody, absolutely nobody was picking on somebody else. _Respect each other and each other's fun_, was a rule of thumb at Lulim.

Only yesterday, she and her new friend Shion had been lost in the woods. After they had been found by Miyuki and Shizuma, they went their separate ways and Chikaru has spent the remainder of the day playing games with the rest of the Lulim first years. Afterwards, Chikaru went to the meticulous task to decorate her room.

Meeting the girl she would be spending the rest of her tenure with was both exciting and frightening, but she found Aika to be a very friendly and open person. Aika, a short red-head with thick glasses, always had her nose in a book... any book, but a school book. The two of them had spent the evening decorating their room with a wide selection of manga and anime related posters the both of them had brought from home. On Chikaru's bed there were now a liberal amount of stuffed animals and on her desk lay her expensive fountain pen, her favorite books and the antique music box she had been given by her grandmother right before she had died.

But through it all, she couldn't stop thinking about Shion, the strange and uptight Spica student she had been spending so much time with the day before. There was something about her that had Chikaru worried and intrigued at the same time. She had proclaimed the other girl a friend and Chikaru was nothing if devoted to her friends.

After morning classes, she hurried to the cafeteria of the Strawberry Dorms in hopes of seeing Shion there. They had promised each other to have lunch together, after all. Once there, she saw a lot of girls from all three schools which she didn't know. She tried to see if Shion was in the long line at the food court, but so far she didn't see her. Being slightly disappointed, Chikaru went to the back of the line, picked up a tray and made a selection. Chikaru ended up keeping it sample: a varied bento and a big yoghurt drink.

Shion still hadn't turned up, however, so Chikaru was about to sit down when a familiar girl waved at her.

"Chikaru-chan!" called the silver-haired Miator student she had met yesterday. "Over here!"

"Sempai," Chikaru bowed gently. "How are you doing today?"

"I'll be doing way better if you stop calling me sempai and stop bowing," Shizuma smirked. "Come on, sit down already."

"Thank you, sem... Uh, what do I call you?" Chikaru said while putting down her tray and sitting in the seat opposite to Shizuma.

"How about Shizuma? That's my name, after all," Shizuma said. Ever the plucky one, Shizuma bore her semi-gothic school uniform with pride. Her expression, however, belied her playful side.

"Shizuma-san," Chikaru smiled. "Thank you for inviting me. Have you, per chance, seen Shion-chan about?"

"Ah, I'm afraid you're stuck with me," Shizuma smiled. "I understand the Spica first years have track and field today for PE class. The field is sort of out of the way, so the girls are probably having lunch there."

"Oh," Chikaru replied. "I was sort of hoping..."

"Hope you're not too disappointed."

"Yes. Uh, I mean no. I mean, I'm sorry Shion-chan isn't here, but I'm not sorry that you invited me to..."

"Relax, I know what you mean," Shizuma smiled. "Shion-san probably didn't have the chance to inform you."

"Uh, hai, hai," Chikaru nodded. Both Shizuma and Chikaru enjoyed a few pieces of their bento for a moment. Some delicious Japanese-style riceballs covered with pieces of fresh fish and soy sauce.

"Thank you for giving Sei-chan my message, by the way," Shizuma said. "I sorta said it as a joke. I didn't expect you to actually do it."

Chikaru smiled gently. If Chikaru gave her promise she would fulfill it, come Hell or high water. Unfortunately, the only thing she had to go on that the girl's given name was Sei and that she was a student at Lulim. Thankfully, the Lulim main hall had pictures of all classes hanging on the wall, complete with nametags. There were eight girls in Lulim called Sei and Chikaru had tracked them down one by one until she found the right one. And Sei-chan, a plucky third-year with blue hair, had been very happy with Shizuma's invitation. In fact, she'd been so happy that she hugged a stunned Chikaru on the spot and ran off to decide what to wear.

"It was no trouble at all," Chikaru smiled, effectively waving away all her hard work to find Sei. "But what happened with Sei-san? When I saw her this morning, she looked odd."

"Odd?" Shizuma cocked her head to one side. "How so?"

"Well, for one thing, she looked really tired. Almost as if she hadn't slept at all. But she wasn't miffed or cranky about it. In fact, it was as if she'd been walking on sunshine all morning. She had this weird grin on her face that just wouldn't go away," Chikaru said apparently deep in thought for a moment.

Shizuma's smiled got even broader and she closed her eyes. For a moment, it was as if she was reliving a pleasant memory. "Ah, yes. The lovely Sei-chan. Hm-hmmm-hmmmmmm."

"Uh, Shizuma-san?" Chikaru frowned. Either there was something going on which she didn't understand or Shizuma was just being odd.

Shizuma didn't seem to be in the mood to elaborate, however. "More tea?" she asked.

"Thank you."

"Did you know I was almost a Lulim student?" Shizuma said.

"Really?"

"Really," Shizuma nodded. "I have to admit, I've been rather spoiled by my father. I see that now too. Took me a year to figure that out. In any case, he expects me to take over the company when he retired and he thought I was too free-spirited."

Chikaru blinked. "Don't tell me he expects Miator to... break your will?"

Shizuma looked startled for a moment, but then giggled. "No, no, no, dad's not like that. He's all in favor of being free-spirited but..." Shizuma stood up, looked all imperious and stuck her chin up in the air. "Ahum,_ 'Zuma-chan, if you are to be the future head of our company, your free-spirited nature must be tempered with discipline and wisdom. I've tried to be a good father, but I'm too much of a soft-heart to discipline you, so I'm sending you to a place when you can learn to make the most of yourself_'," she said and sat down again. "And so I ended up here."

Chikaru smiled. "He sounds like a nice man."

"He is. In fact, he went with me to pick out the school. All three schools were actively competing to have me join their student body, so there were girls following us around everywhere we went to spread the propaganda. Spica was out of the question from the start, because they teach girls to be strong and independent. Dad said that if I'd get any more strong and in dependant, I'd start my own country somewhere. So it was between Lulim and Miator. Dad really liked the atmosphere at Lulim, but eventually he decided on Miator because they were a very disciplined school."

"You said all three schools were vying to have you. Why was that?" Chikaru asked.

"Because I'm a Hanazono. And an heiress. Having a future billionairess on their resume would be a nice feather in their cap," Shizuma shrugged.

A sharp intake of breath, blood draining from her face, eyes unfocused. Chikaru was more than a little shocked at this. Of course, she knew that in this prestigious school, she would encounter the children of Japan's elite, but still having one sitting opposite to her was a little disturbing.

"I'm not the only one," Shizuma pointed at a girl in the corner. "See her? She's the daughter of the minister of Defense. That girl over there? She's the granddaughter of the president of Kodansha publishers. The entire Mitsubishi board of directors have their daughters checked into Astraea Hill. That perky Lulim girl over there? That's the daughter of the owner of Bandai. If you ever want cheap toys, become her friend. She gives away toys as if they're boxes of cookies."

Chikaru looked at the girls and felt a little uneasy, being the simple scholarship student. Shizuma apparently sensed her distress and gently took her hand. "Chikaru-chan. Don't let them intimidate you. They're just like you. They brush their hair, they go to the bathroom, they study, laugh and love just like everybody else. Nothing special. They're not a hair better than you because they have more money."

"Thank you," Chikaru bowed gently.

"In fact, that girl you befriended, Shion-san," Shizuma said. "She's a Toumori."

"I know," Chikaru smiled. "She told me. You were there, remember?"

"I don't think she told us that she's a Toumori from the family that runs Toumori Electronics."

Chikaru blinked. "She's one of *those* Toumori's?"

"Yep," Shizuma smiled. "And one day, Shion-san will be one of the richest women in Japan. But don't let that stand in the way of your friendship. I think Shion-san really needs a friend."

"Yes," Chikaru said, and looked away slightly. "I get the feeling she's very lonely. In fact, I think I'll go look her up at the earliest opportunity."

"Good for you... and her," Shizuma winked.

Chikaru nodded. "You were telling a story, Shizuma-san."

"I was? Oh, yeah, I was," Shizuma said. "So here I was, stuck at Miator, suddenly living out of the house. I'd been living with my dad before and then... it was a bit of a culture shock. At first I was really angry with my dad. I kicked and I screamed when he left me here... I refused to call him, except for shouting at him that he should get me out of this hellhole. Eventually, it... got better. And I realized two things."

"Which were those?"

"I realized how hard it must have been for my dad to let me go," Shizuma smiled gently. "And to endure four months of the silent treatment. I felt real bad about it. Still do. But we've made up now and realize that he was right. I was a spoiled brat."

"And the second thing?"

A sparkle appeared in Shizuma's eye, hinting of pleasant thoughts. "This place is Heaven! SO. MANY. GIRLS!"

Chikaru frowned. "Girls?"

"Yes!" Shizuma raved. "Girls! Girls of all ages! Girls of all sizes! Tall girls, short girls, sweet girls, sad girls, smiling girls, pig-tailed girls, shy girls, enigmatic girls, shallow girls, smart girls, dumb girls, angry girls, tsundere girls... and the list goes on. There's so many tender morsels just walking around. This place is Heaven for a girl who's into girls."

The raven-haired Lulim girl scratched her head for a moment and uncertain how to respond. So Shizuma liked to be around girls. Perhaps that was simply because this was an all-girl school and Shizuma thought boys were too immature to have as friends. Still, Chikaru wanted to keep the conversation going.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Chikaru asked.

The stunned look on Shizuma's face signified that Chikaru had unwittingly made a serious faux-pas.

"Eeeewww, no! No, no! Eeeccchhh!" Shizuma replied sharply. "Honestly, have you just listened to a word I said?"

Chikaru bowed deeply. "I apologize if I said something to offend you! I was just... thinking that after a year without boys... I mean. I... Sorry. Have you ever been to a mixed school?"

"Ah, it's okay," Shizuma said. "I've never been to a mixed school, but I guess you have. So, what about you, hm? Did Chikaru-chan have a boyfriend? A boyfriend to go on dates with and kiss in the moonlight?"

The raven-haired girl softly shook her head. "No, I never had a boyfriend," she said. "Some of the boys in school confessed to me, but I had to let them down because I didn't love them in return. I had a lot of friends that were boys, though."

Shizuma's smile turned into a grin. "My, my, my, never had a boyfriend? But that must mean... Awww, you've never been kissed."

Chikaru's gentle face reddened deeply. "I, uh, no... and since there's no boys here, I don't think I'll be kissed anytime soon."

Shizuma's grin turned into a giggle. "Oh, Chikaru-chan, you are so cute and innocent. Hold on to that, my young friend. But, to change the subject, I've bared my soul for you. Now it's time for you to tell me something about yourself."

"Fair enough," Chikaru said. "There's not much to tell, though. I used to live with my parents and my two little brothers in our house in Osaka. My parents are professional activists. They're both heavily involved with several worker's unions and environmental groups and do independent research for those people. We're not a rich family, but we're not poor either. We're happy with what we've got. My uncle does voice acting and my grandmother was a great seamstress who's taught me a lot of things. I still don't know what it is that won me the scholarship at Lulim, because I know students at my school that are a lot smarter than I am didn't win it."

"If you're here, then you've either paid for it or you've earned it," Shizuma shrugged. "Either case, you belong here now."

Just as Chikaru and Shizuma were about to finish off their lunch, another person entered the room. "Is this hentai bothering you, Chikaru-chan?" asked Miyuki as she stood in front of the booth and smirked at Shizuma.

"Hey!" Shizuma narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Hentai ja nai yo! I'm just a little forward sometimes."

Miyuki shook her head. "She's a little young for you, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Miyuki. We were just talking," Shizuma smirked.

"Nevertheless," Miyuki smiled. "I suppose Akiko-san will be terribly disappointed you spent your luncheon with a first year Lulim rather than having a picnic with her at the gazebo."

Shizuma blinked. "Oh, crud, I forgot all about Akiko!"

Miyuki shook her head. "I'm sure she'll fall in line after you set loose your charm on her. After all, it works on Sei-san, Anne-chan, Katsumi-san, Karin-san, Ai-san and Hiromi-chan. And indeed your entire harem. All for Hanazono Shizuma, who finds a new confession letter in her gymlocker every single day."

Chikaru watched the exchange of the two other girls with interest. First of all, she had no idea what Shizuma was doing with all those girls and why she was so infatuated with them. Secondly, the previous humour in Miyuki's voice was gone completely when she named the girls and replaced by a hint of anger and jealousy. It was subtle, but it was there. Thirdly, the usually perceptive Shizuma was apparently completely oblivious to this. Chikaru didn't know what to do with all this information and couldn't make sense of it all... so she decided to store it for future reference and leave it at that.

The little Lulim student stood up and bowed to Shizuma and Miyuki. "Shizuma-san, thank you for the meal and the company, but I really should be getting back to class."

"It was no problem at all," Shizuma said. "I enjoyed talking with you."

Chikaru said her goodbyes to Miyuki and Shizuma, picked up her bookbag and ran out the door since Lulim was still a bit of a walk away.

**

* * *

**

Back in the cafeteria, Shizuma and Miyuki exchanged looked. "Poor girl," Shizuma said.

"Poor girl? Why?"

"Chikaru-chan is so gay," Shizuma nodded. "But she doesn't know it yet."

"Hm, she's much like you when you were her age," Miyuki said. "I just hope she doesn't change into a womanizer. One of those in my circle of friends is quite enough, thank you very much. In any case, you should leave her alone, Shizuma. I know that look in your eyes."

Shizuma turned her patented 'Who? Me? What? Me worry?'-look at Miyuki before looking away.

"Don't..."

"I don't go for first-years, Miyuki," Shizuma said somewhat coldly. "But I'm guessing some manipulation might do the trick here. Her little friend Shion seems quite taken with her. And Chikaru-chan has shown an interest."

"Leave them alone," Miyuki pressed.

"Make me!" Shizuma challenged.

"I'll go to your bed, remove the sheets and crumple a week-old baguette all over your linen."

"Ack!" Shizuma shuddered. "I still have impressions in my skin from the last time you did that!"

**

* * *

**

Chikaru was the first one out of class at the end of the last term. All around her, girls were either going to their clubs or the dorms and were chatting animatedly, but Chikaru paid them no mind other than giving out greetings whenever passing a girl.

The little Lulim student passed the Dorms and headed straight for the Spica Academy, forgoing any shortcuts this time around.

She arrived soon and found out that classes were still in session at Spica. Though Chikaru was questioned a couple to time by Spica-sempai's who wanted to know why a first-year Lulim student was apparently sneaking around Spica, she managed to persuade them to let her pass with a smile and an innocent look. She even found out where Shion should be having class from a rather helpful student.

Chikaru set herself on a small bench outside the classroom and waiting. A mere two minutes later, the bell rang and another minute later, the students came pouring out of the classroom. Chikaru looked into the crowd expectantly, and as it turned out, she saw Shion before Shion saw her.

The moment Shion spotted Chikaru, her expression changed from being impassive to one of a joyful smile. But before Chikaru could say anything, another student stepped in between them. It was the haughty long-haired girl whom she had seen when she had first arrived. "Well, well, well," said the girl. "Looks like we've found someone sneaking around the better parts of town. Coming to see how your betters live, slummie?"

Chikaru knew a bully when she saw one, and the most effective weapon against a bully was being polite and never responding to barbs. "Could you please let me pass?" Chikaru asked while smiling. "I would like to talk to my friend."

Before the girl could respond, Shion pushed in between them. "That's enough, Kaname-san," Shion narrowed her eyes. "Leave her alone."

Kaname faked a yawn. "I wasn't doing anything. Sure, fine. Whatever."

"Sorry about that," Shion said while she watched Kaname leave. "It's good to see you, Chikaru-chan. I'm so sorry I couldn't make our lunchdate. I wasn't expecting our class to have lunch on the track. I asked a girl if she would give you a message, but I'm not sure if you got it in time."

"It's okay," Chikaru said. "Shizuma-san kept me company, so I wasn't alone."

"I'm glad," Shion said as the two girls sat down in a bench in the main entrance hall of Spica Academy. The main entrance hall contained two sets of ornate staircases leading to the upper floors and a large fountain nestled between the base of the stairs. Girls passed off and on and paid them no mind, until the place was relatively quiet.

"Spica is so wonderful," Shion said and almost got a dreamy look in her eyes. "It's everything I thought it would be."

"Have you met your roommate?" Chikaru said. "I've met Aiko-chan and she's ever so nice... if a little absent-minded."

"I'm in luck!" Shion smiled. "There was an odd number of new students this year, and I filled in on my application that I wouldn't mind a solo-room if there wouldn't be a roommate for me. So I got a room all to myself!"

Chikaru smiled encouragingly, but was somewhat worried about Shion's more than enthusiastic reaction about having a room to herself. She gathered that Shion had spent much of her time alone when she was still living at home. It was a sad thing for someone not only to be lonely without realizing her own loneliness, but also finding comfort in that loneliness. It'd probably have been a good thing for Shion if she would have had a roommate.

"It still feels a little surreal," Chikaru said. "I mean, being away from home, so far away from your family and friends. All these news things, these great schools and the beautiful forest. It... sorta feels like a camping trip, you know? You're at this new place doing things you normally'd do different and all that. Except this camping trip is going to take six years. Does that make any sense."

"Well, it's different," Shion smiled. "But this is freedom, Chikaru-chan. You can start plotting your own course from here, prepare for a life of your own, away from the yoke of your family or your duty to them."

"My family isn't a yoke," Chikaru said softly.

"Sorry," Shion nodded. "I just... Forget it, I didn't mean anything by it."

"And what if I'm not ready for a life of my own?" Chikaru asked softly.

Shion thought for a moment. "You will be, eventually. Give it some time."

"Such issues," Chikaru giggled for a moment to break the dour mood. "So, is there something you want to do? Let's not take a walk through the forest, though. Not before we know the terrain a bit better."

"I agree," there was a hint of humor in Shion's voice. "Let's not. We could just sit here and chat. Or we could go to my room. I've brought some really good tea from home and I've got a waterheater."

And so they did. Shion's room was in the Spica section of the dorm, not quite far from Chikaru's room in fact. When she entered Shion's room she found it to be a bit sterile and for a moment, she thought that Shion still had to unpack. But the folded up empty boxes next to the wall told her that Shion had already done that.

Shion had mostly brought only books and her bookcase was piling out with works about political science and collected works for famous Japanese and Western philosophers. Heavy stuff. Not a manga in sight.

Shion also had made little effort to make her room more homely. Unlike Chikaru, who had brought mementoes, pictures and loads of stuffed animals to remind her of home, Shion had nothing of the sort except for two pictures on her nightstand. One picture was obviously of her parents, but the second picture was one of herself standing in front of two elderly ladies. One was looking rather sternly at the camera, and carried herself with nobility. The second lady was a little younger than the other one and seemed much more jovial, to the point of laying on hand on young Shion's shoulders while making the peace-sign to the camera. Oddly enough, the picture of the elderly ladies was in a place of prominence, while the picture of her parents was more in the background.

Other than books and the two pictures, Shion had a small waterheater and an expensive looking china tea service.

"My grandmother and her... my aunt," Shion said when she saw Chikaru looking at the picture. Shion poured some water in the heater and switched it on.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but she looks kinda mean," Chikaru said.

"Well spotted. She IS mean," Shion chuckled. "Except towards people she likes... which aren't a lot of people."

"Would you like to have dinner together later?" Chikaru asked.

"I'm sorry, but we can't," Shion sighed. "Breakfast and lunch are freeseated, but evening meals are taken communally with assigned seats."

"Oh," Chikaru nodded. "Well, then, let's try lunch or breakfast tomorrow. Maybe we'll run into Shizuma-san and Miyuki-sempai again. I like them, even if Shizuma-san is a little strange?"

"Strange?" Shion asked. "How so."

Chikaru rubbed her chin. "Oh, don't get me wrong, she's really nice but... she talks about girls as if she's one of the boys at my old school who rave about girls all day long."

Shion smiled for a moment. "I've already heard stories about her. All positive, mind you. Shizuma-san's... into girls."

Chikaru nodded. "It's hard to miss. I wonder why, though." In the background, a little electronic alarm went off. Shion stood up and poured the water into the teapot. Afterwards, she put some of the precious tea into a metal tea-egg and hung it into the pot.

"Chikaru-chan," Shion said. "She's a lesbian."

"What?"

"A lesbian. You know. A girl who falls in love with other girls?"

"I know what a lesbian is, but I never thought Shizuma-san... are you sure?" Chikaru blinked.

"Trust me, it's hard to miss," Shion said. "The sempai I met at track and field is one of her girlfriends and she can't stop talking about Shizuma-san once she gets started."

Chikaru blinked again. "But... I thought lesbians all have short hair, lots of piercings, tattoos and wear combat boots and camos."

Now it was Shion's turn to blink. "Uh... No," was her simple reply. "Lesbians come in all shapes and sizes."

"Are you really sure Shizuma-san is a lesbian?"

"Yes."

"Really, really sure?"

"Is she isn't a lesbian, I'll eat my shoes."

"Wow," Chikaru said. "Do you think there's a lot of lesbians in this school?"

"In an all-girl school filled with teenage girls with raging hormones?" Shion smiled. "You bet."

"Wow," Chikaru said again.

Shion sat on the bed and looked away from Chikaru, not wanting to meet her eyes. "D-do you think that's wrong? A girl loving another girl. Do you think that's bad or... unnatural?"

Chikaru thought for a moment. "No," she said. "Absolutely not. When love's involved, it can't be wrong... unless it's a guy in love with his pet or something, that'd just be weird."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Shion answered. She poured the tea from the pot into the cups and handed one to Chikaru. Chikaru put the cup to her lips and savored the delicious blend of the tea.

It was a good day to enjoy a cup of tea with her newest friend.


	3. Chapter 3 : One good turn

Hello everyone,

It took a bit for me to get around to this, but I hope you'll enjoy. :)

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapter 3 : One good turn deserves another

Chikaru sighed heavily as she looked in the mirror. Every self-conscious bone in her body was playing up as she watched herself from the front and from the side. It looked like it had gotten better, but she didn't dare hope. Her hands trembled with dread as she took the measuring ribbon and slowly wound it around her chest... only to be met with bitter disappointment when she read the result.

"They still haven't grown," Chikaru muttered to herself.

She sat on her bed and pouted slightly. Was there something wrong with her? She was a healthy young girl, after all? So why weren't her breasts growing?

The girls all around her were continuously developing, so shouldn't she as well? Shizuma was only a year older than her and her chestsize was, in one word, impressive.

Chikaru sighed. Maybe... Maybe she'd never develop... maybe she'd be small-chested all her life. Maybe this was all that she would get.

Chikaru decided to brush her hair to hope that she could think of something else for a moment.

She failed.

Boys were shallow creatures, after all. How would they ever notice her, especially when there were so many girls with bigger breasts around? Would she ever meet a nice boy who would marry her? Would she ever be able to start a family? How could she ever start a family if she wasn't pretty?

_Why weren't these goddamn things growing?_

Chikaru was ashamed to admit it, but she had tried several things. She had gone to the local Shinto shrine to pray to the kami to augment her chest-size, but they had yet to come around to granting her requests. Then she went to market and bought an herbal salve from an old woman who claimed her breasts would grow for sure. Every day she had smeared the salve on her chest and bound it with a thin cloth... but the only result was that she'd be very smelly in the morning and had to shower twice as long to get rid of it.

She supposed she should be happy with her body as it is. Everyone always told her she had a pretty smile, gorgeous hair. a kind soul and sparkling eyes... but in Chikaru's self-conscious mood, all of that meant nothing without having the boobs to back it up.

Chikaru sighed and shook her head. This was silly. She knew it was silly. But maybe it was just this place. She never thought much about her looks while she was still in a mixed public school, but then again, there hadn't been girls there who were older than 13. Surrounded by so many beautiful girls, she simply couldn't help feeling... inferior.

Chikaru pulled her nightshift over her head and left the bathroom. Hopefully, some sleep would soothe her so she'd feel better in the morning. Her roommate was already out like a light, as was to be expected. And Chikaru was about to hit the sack to forget about her misery when she heard a thud coming from the hallway. Curious as she was, Chikaru moved to the door and laid her ear to the door.

"I'm gunna sleep right here," one girl slurred. "G'Night..."

"Come on! Get up! If the sister finds us, you'll get expelled for sure!"

"Nah," the other girl slurred again. "Daddy's too rich for me to get expelled. 'S okay, Miyuki. Go to sleep... Hmm, this carpet is nice and fuzzy... I'm gonna fall asleep right here. Nighty."

"Shizuma, don't you dare!"

Chikaru opened the door, startling Miyuki. In front of Miyuki lay Shizuma, in an apparent state of acute inebriation, wearing tight jeans and a low-cut tank-top.

"Chikaru-san," Miyuki stiffened for a moment.

"salright, dontworrysss... Chikaru-chan won't rat on us, right?"

"Quiet!" Miyuki hissed. "Or people will hear you!"

Chikaru blinked. The darkened corridors looked so different at night, and it came to no surprise that the Dorms had given birth to plenty a ghost-story. The corridors looked hauntingly frightening at night, almost like a gothic castle of yore as the moon shone through the windows and illuminated the corridor with slight bluish light. Of course, any ghost would be frightened off by Shizuma's ached groan.

"Chikaru-san?" Miyuki asked. "I've got a big favor ask you. Will you help us?"

Chikaru watched Shizuma for a moment, and it was painfully obvious that they needed help. "Of course, sempai," she nodded after making sure her roommate was still asleep.

"As you can see," Miyuki said. "Shizuma's completely drunk."

"I am NOT completely drunk!" Shizuma answered harshly, before smiling broadly. "I am completely drunk OFF MY ASS! Hihihhihihihihi."

"But... she's underage. How..." Chikaru scratched her head.

Miyuki said. "I came across her in this state when I was... waiting for her to return. She sometimes sneaks off the grounds to hit the town, you see? And some the places she visits don't really flaunt the minimum drinking age, especially because Shizuma tips with ten-thousand yen bills."

"I could have had that girl," Shizuma whispered. "I should have had her. Wow, she was so hot."

Miyuki sighed. "What she says is a little incoherent, but from what I've been able to piece together, she tried to impress a girl by getting into a drinking contest with her."

"Dammit," Shizuma grumbled. "I should be in her room right now having the time of my life."

"You never had a chance!" Miyuki said, and silenced Shizuma's sputters of protest immediately. "She was a Russian backpacker, Shizuma! Russian! You know, the people who invented VODKA? I have no idea how you even managed to find yourself back to the Dorms in the state you're in!"

"Us Hanazono's are resourceful," Shizuma stated as she rolled on her back. But then started giggling. She pointed upwards and laughed even harder. "Hey, Miyuki. I can see your pantsu from here! Hihihihihihi!"

Miyuki let out a brief yelp and quickly crossed her legs while Shizuma kept giggling.

"Your room is all the way on the other side of the Dorms," Chikaru said. "You'll never drag her all the way there without getting caught."

"My point exactly," said Miyuki. "Is there anywhere we could stash her for the night? Perhaps you could park her somewhere in your room? Let her sleep on the floor, it's all she deserves anyway."

Chikaru thought for a moment. "Shion-chan has a room all to herself and it's just around the corner. She could sleep there."

"Do you think she will help us?"

"I'm sure she will," Chikaru said. "Shion is very nice, after all."

Miyuki tried to pull Shizuma to her feet, but the girl wasn't cooperating. In fact, Shizuma toppled forward again the moment Miyuki had her upright. Both girls tumbled back onto the ground with Shizuma ending up lying on top of Miyuki. Though Miyuki looked rather undignified about it, Shizuma was rather pleased.

"Hmmm," Shizuma whispered. "Look what I found," she said after nestling her cheek on top of one of Miyuki's breasts while she closed her eyes and a blissful smile formed on her delicate features.

"Ack, get off!" Miyuki snaked herself loose from a very disappointed Shizuma.

Chikaru watched the spectacle with a blush on her face that could melt the polar icecaps. Miyuki got to her feet and both girls took one of Shizuma's arms. The two of them dragged the giggling drunk girl to Shion's room, across the hallway and around the corner. It wasn't far, but with the noise that Shizuma was producing, it might as well have been a thousand miles.

Chikaru knocked on the door to Shion's room while Miyuki covered Shizuma's mouth with her hands.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru whispered while knocking. "Shion-chan, wake up!"

In the distance, they heard footsteps approaching from the east side, three hallways away.

"It's one of the sisters," Miyuki said. "Hurry."

"Shion-chan!" Chikaru tried. "Shion-chan, come on!"

A few moments later, a very groggy Shion with sleep-filled eyes and disheveled hair opened up. The blonde girl tried to register what was going on, but her sleep-deprived brain simply wouldn't cooperate.

"Chikaru-chan?" Shion yawned. "Wazzup? Who? What? Huh?"

The three girls quickly pushed past her and closed the door. Miyuki dimmed Shion's night light and the girls were quiet: Miyuki held her hand over Shizuma's mouth and Chikaru did the same with Shion.

The footsteps sounded at the door as the girls held their breath. They passed, however, and faded into the distance. The girls sat there in the darkened room in silence and relief.

"Wwwooooo!" Shizuma giggled as she lay on the floor. "Foursome, alright!"

"Shizuma!" Miyuki hissed.

Shion, now slightly more awake, regarded the three other girls. "Alright," she yawned. "What are you doing here?" she said while Miyuki removed the stuff Shion had put on top of the extra bed in her room. "What's wrong with Shizuma-sempai?"

"She needs our help," Chikaru said.

"She... Is she drunk?" Shion look at the hammered Shizuma with disapproval. "She can't be here in my room! This is intolerable! I should go to the sisters immediately!"

"Please," Miyuki grabbed Shion's shoulders. "Trust me, if the sisters find out, all four of us will be punished."

Shion bit her lip. "But... why would Chikaru and I be blamed for this?"

"Association if nothing more," Miyuki said. Because Shion lived alone, she had used the second bed for storage of books, boxes and other heavy things. Miyuki had immediately started to clear the bed so there was room for Shizuma.

"You've got to be kidding me," Shion said. "Look at her, she's practically flammable!"

After Miyuki had cleared the bed, she motioned the other girls to help her with Shizuma.

"Weeeeeeee," Shizuma giggled girlishly while the three other girls hoisted her up and plopped her down on the bed. "Again! Oh, I'm kinda sleepy. G'night, Miyuki... G'night, Chikaru... G'night, Shion... G'night Magdalena."

"Who's Magdalena?" Shion asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think she was the girl she got into a drinking contest with..." Miyuki said.

Shizuma was now parked on the bed and was out like a light almost immediately. Her chest rose and fell with every breath as she finally slept peacefully.

Shion narrowed her eyes. "Don't you know she's violated about twenty school rules. And that we've all violated even more rules by helping her?"

"Shion-chan," Chikaru smiled. "She's our friend and our friend needs help right now. Isn't it morally right to help our friends?"

Shion thought for a moment. "I... suppose. But."

"I'm so sorry for inconveniencing you, Shion-san," Miyuki bowed briefly. "I make sure Shizuma will apologize for this intrusion as well when she's coherent enough to do so."

"Quiet!" Chikaru whispered. "Listen."

Footsteps.

They were coming back.

The girls took quick action. Shion jumped right back into bed and rolled to her side while Miyuki carefully strew some of Shion's belongings and clothes strategically on the bed to cover up Shizuma's presence. After that, Chikaru and Miyuki each rolled underneath one of the beds just as the door opened.

They all held their breath as the sister looked into the room. The only blissful sleeping noise being produced came from Shizuma.

Fortunately, the Sister accepted this, closed the door and moved on. Miyuki and Chikaru shared a brief smile and decided they would wait a moment before chancing to sneak back to their own rooms. Above her, Chikaru could hear Shion grumbling slightly.

**

* * *

**

"Rise and shine!" Shion announced cheerfully while she tossed aside the curtains and opened the window.

"Ooooohhhh..." sounded from Shizuma as she curled up in the fetal position to avoid getting any light in her eyes. "Bloody hell, my head..."

"Come on," Shion said as she walked to the closet and did some stretching exersizes against it. She then opened the door and took some small weights from the closet. "It's only two hours till the cafeteria starts serving breakfast."

"Two hours... what time is it?" Shizuma muttered.

"Six o'clock," Shion said while she started exersizing with the weights, one in each hand.

"Six? Are you mad? They keep serving till nine! Oh, my head... don't let me talk so loud..."

"Rise early and sleep early," Shion said. "It makes for a sound body and mind."

"Sleeping late is good enough for me," Shizuma groaned. "God, what happened yesterday. How'd I get here?"

Shion half-smiled. "So you don't remember stumbling around in the dark in an inebriated state?"

Shizuma thought for a moment. "Well... I remember this Russian girl and it all gets pretty hazy right after that. Ooooooohhhhh, my poor head. I think I'll call in sick today."

Shion put down her weights and gathered some clothes. She moved into the backroom to dress herself, out of Shizuma's sight.

"Well," Shion called from the bathroom. "Normally, I'd frown on that, but I really think you won't last even half an hour of class."

"Hmm, Sei-chan is on duty at doctor's office today, if I remember correctly, " Shizuma smiled to herself. "Yes, I'm definitely sick today. In fact, I should report to sickbay immediately for a very thorough examination. I'm getting up right now."

Shizuma sat up in bed, but was immediately overcome with extreme headache mixed with overwhelming nausea. "No, I'm not," she groaned and immediately plopped down on her back again.

Dressed in full Spican uniform, Shion came out of the bathroom and observed the groaning Shizuma. "You don't look well."

"Perfect deduction, dr Watson-kun."

"No need for sarcasm," Shion said and closed the shades. "I'm going out now. Feel free to sleep here if need be, but don't touch my stuff and try not throw up on my floor."

"How kind of you," Shizuma groaned as Shion left.

**

* * *

**

The day continued on without incident. Chikaru and Shion attended class in their perspective schools and, as they usually did, had lunch together in the cafeteria and had an animated discussion about a certain subject. This time, it was school policy towards public inebriation. It was just before class would start that Miyuki approached the two younger students in the hallways outside of the cafeteria with a message from Shizuma. Shizuma had requested all three of them to visit her in sickbay when class would be done today.

Three hours and two classes later, the three of them gathered at the nurse's office and rushed inside without the thought of knocking. Soon enough, all three wished they had.

Chikaru gulped at the spectacle in front of her. Her sempai Sei was lying next to Shizuma on the bed, running her fingers over the thin cloth covering Shizuma's stomach and was twirling around her bellybutton. Sei's top was unbuttoned and her hair was quite disheveled. Shizuma herself was looking as content as a purring kitten.

Both were blissfully unaware of the three other girls that had entered the room, which became even more apparently when the Lulim third-year leaned in for a kiss. It was an invitation which Shizuma answered quite hungrily. The 'patient' wrapped her arms around Sei and ended up lying on top of her while never breaking the kiss.

Chikaru felt her cheek burn red with embarrassment. Shion was in a similar state of disbelief as he jaw was only inches away from the floor. Miyuki, on the other hand, seemed quite calm about the whole thing, though for a moment Chikaru could see a flash of annoyance and anger across her eyes.

"Ahum," Miyuki scraped her throat.

The two kissing girls started slightly, though Shizuma recovered quickly and offered her trademark sardonic grin. Sei wasn't nearly as level-headed and quickly raised herself from the bed in a futile attempt to maintain that nothing had happened at all.

"Well, uh," she stammered while turning her back to the newcomers and frantically rebuttoned her uniform. "I, uh, paracetamol should do the trick to deal with your headaches. Just take two and I'll check up on you later."

"Thanks," Shizuma grinned. "For your... hands-on diagnosis."

"Shi-chan!" Sei hissed. "Don't..."

"Sorry, friends," Shizuma turned to the three girls as she sat up. "I was pre-occupied by the... intense... very intense... physical examination Sei-chan has subjected me to earlier."

"Shizuma!" Sei blushed. "I, uh, I should check up on the other patients."

"I was just returning the favor," Shizuma smiled. "Sei-chan, trust me, I will do so properly when we both have time for a private moment. I owe you thrice, my Sei-chan. I will repay you twofold."

Shion blushed wildly and even Miyuki was affected by that last statement. Chikaru was merely wondering what the hell had been going on here and why this room smelled so funny.

"Shizuma, honestly!" Miyuki sighed heavily. "You are beyond hope, do you know that?"

The previously hung-over Shizuma was looking much happier and healthier. She swung her legs to one side and sat on the side of the bed. "Look," she said softly. "Yesterday, I... Well, let's just say that it was not one of my finest moments. I realize I've been a bit of a burden to all of you and I'd like to make it up to you. All of you. You've heard of the new Onsen opening in town? It's an artificial one, of course, but it'll do the trick. I've made sure we all have special permission to leave school grounds this afternoon to visit the Onsen. It won't open for another week, so we'll have the place all to ourselves."

Chikaru and Shion shared a smile. It had been a while since either of them had the opportunity to go to an Onsen and they had both heard of the artificial one opening soon. But they had never expected to be able to attend so easily. Miyuki, however, seemed more sceptical.

"Just how did you manage to arrange this?" Miyuki crossed her arms.

Shizuma grinned like a cheshire cat. "Well, the Onsen is from a chain that is a subsidiary of the Hanazono industry group. In other words, my dad... and per extention, I myself... own it. Secondly, it'll be donation month soon, and all rich parents will be approached. It'd be bad form if I were to tell my dad what a horrible place this is just before the principal starts begging for hand-outs, no?"

Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "In other words, you blackmailed the Sisters to give us permission to leave on such a short notice."

"Blackmail," Shizuma looked at the ceiling and let the word rolled over her tongue. "Such an ugly word. "I must say I must prefer 'diplomacy'."

"Really?" Chikaru broke in. "Are we going to the Onsen?"

"Get your towels, Chikaru-chan," Shizuma winked. "We'll be leaving in half an hour. I've already arranged for transportation to town."

Both Shion and Chikaru bowed deeply before walking off excitedly. Miyuki, however, was less impressed.

"Alright, Shizuma," she asked. "What are you up to?"

Shizuma frowned as she lay back on the bed. "Why am I always up to something, according to you."

"Because you usually are."

Shizuma stuck out her tongue. "Nothing bad. Come on, you'll enjoy it."

"Leave those kids alone, Shizuma. I mean it."

"Come on, it's cute!" Shizuma closed her eyes and smiled. "An introverted and sarcastic young lesbian and a kindly, extroverted and naive proto-lesbian. It's a match made in heaven!"

"I'll be going along. But only to make sure you behave," Miyuki said as she sat down on the bed with her back to Shizuma. "And you'd better not bring any of your many girlfriends along. Poor girls'll be confused enough as much as it is."

"Come on," Shizuma said as she sat up and gently started kneading Miyuki's shoulders. "Why don't you find a nice girl? Trust me, they'd be after you in droves if you let them close."

"You know I can't," Miyuki said coldly.

"Come on," Shizuma stopped rubbing and parked her chin on Miyuki's shoulder, almost pressing her cheek to Miyuki's. She felt Miyuki's breath starting to flow more irregularly, something which amused Shizuma greatly. "If you're too shy, I could arrange something for you. I know this very sweet girl who..."

"NO!" Miyuki pulled away from Shizuma, twisted around and glowered down at her friend. "We've been over this!"

"Is this about him?" Shizuma sighed.

"I was promised to..."

"That'll take years still, Miyuki," Shizuma pressed. "Have some fun before the axe comes down."

"I don't want fun!" Miyuki almost shouted. "I'm not like you, Shizuma. I don't want anything flighty! I want something meaningful and lasting... and that's something I can't do because I'm promised to someone else. It wouldn't be fair. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of being able to choose my own partners and I wish you would stop flaunting it!"

"Relationships," Shizuma giggled. "Come on, we're so young still. Have fun while you're still young. Relationships? Not for me. Never for me. I'm having too good a time sampling."

"You are so blind Shizuma," Miyuki sighed.

"Come on," Shizuma grinned. "Nothing gets by me. Absolutely nothing!"

Miyuki let out a disgusted sigh and left the room in a huff. Once outside she pressed her back against the wall and closed her eyes. With all her might, she pushed back the sob that she felt coming from the pit of her stomach. A single tear managed to escape her victory before she shut herself down again.

"Baka," she whispered before stepping away in sadness.

**

* * *

**

Shizuma was true to her word. The car arrived in time to bring the three excited and the one not-so-excited girl to the Onsen. The artificial Onsen was situated on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. Though there weren't any true volcanic hotsprings around, the Onsen was modeled after a true one, its waters a perfect mix of minerals that had its heat regulated by a sophisticated computer. One person had turned up to run the Onsen and keep watch, but it was devoid of any other people.

The dressing area was luxurious and had plenty of lockers. Around the main building were several outside areas, two large areas and several fenced off smaller ones for private use. All baths were adorned with volcanic rock for authenticity.

As the sun was setting, the girls had donned towels and had decided to pick one of the larger baths. Shizuma and Chikaru stood near the entrance to the pool and looked outside. The steam rising up from the bath distorted the orange glow from the sun upon the water as the cicadas sang all around them. All in all, it was a serene and pleasant scene.

"Ready?" Shizuma grinned.

"Ready!" Chikaru nodded. The two girls ran towards the bath, giggling.

"STOOOOPPPP!" sounded two voices from behind them. Chikaru and Shizuma skidded to a halt just before they were about to jump in. It was all that Chikaru could do to pull the towel around Shizuma's waist to keep her sempai from toppling forward into the back.

After turning around, they saw an angry Miyuki and a disapproving Shion dressed in towels behind them.

"That is not how you enter an Onsen," Miyuki shook her head.

"You both show great disrespect," Shion added. "Not to mention endangering your own lives because the pool is rather shallow."

Chikaru and Shizuma both hung their heads low. "Sumimasen," they both whispered, blushing slightly as they did. So rather than jumping into the Onsen head-first, the girls proceeded to carefully cleanse themselves with soap and warm water before entering the baths.

It was at that moment that Chikaru's youthful insecurities returned. Thankfully, she was last in line to wash herself, but she definitely had some trouble dropping the towel. The other three were already enjoying the warm water and Chikaru was waiting for the moment to pounce in unnoticed, but she also knew she couldn't wait too long because the others would start wondering.

A passing rescue helicopter provided the distraction Chikaru needed. As the three other girls looked over to see what was going on, Chikaru quickly slipped into the water to her chin. The mix of minerals made the water murky enough to hide her features.

She immediately noticed that the other girls weren't so worried about showing off their figures. Shizuma was the most comfortable and lounged back with the majority of her upper body above the waterline. She was... impressive. She carried herself with the confidence to the point of being brazen, and had the beauteous figure to justify it. Of all four of them, she was the one with the most impressive chest size.

Aside from that Miyuki was well-developed, but... Shion. For a girl her age, her chest was impressive. And once again, poor Chikaru felt dreadfully inferior. These girls in front of her had everything to be proud of : wealth, prestige and beauty. Hell, Shizuma-sempai was practically an idol at the Hill.

The other girls chatted. Mostly the conversation was carried by Shizuma and Miyuki, while Shion chimed in ever so often and Chikaru remained too lost in thought to follow. How she wished she had breasts like Shizuma's... perfectly round, impressively sized and, she guessed, silky soft of skin. Then again, Shion's looked very nice too. Smaller than Shizuma's, but so very nice.

Chikaru continued to study the chests of her friends intently while the other girls chatted. Until...

"Are you alright?" Shizuma smirked. "My eyes are up here, Chikaru-chan."

Blushing vigorously at being caught, Chikaru looked away and stammered slightly. "S-s-s-sorry, I d-d-didn't mean to stare. I, um, I..."

"It's alright," Shizuma's smirk turned into a warm smile. She bent forward, unwittingly giving Chikaru an even better view of her chest. "But are you? You don't look very comfortable. Is the water too hot?"

It was all too much for Chikaru. She had to get out of there. She had to... Shame be damned, she practically jumped out of the Onsen and ran inside. Chikaru pressed her side against one of the lockers and tried to stop hyperventilating. Coming here today was a mistake, and worst of all, she knew it would probably trigger her insecurities. She herself didn't even understand why this was happening all of a sudden, because she had never been like this in the past.

She started when someone put a towel over her bare back. The smiling face of Miyuki, the concerned look on Shion's face and the bemused half-smile of Shizuma... the only one of them who hadn't donned a towel by now.

"I wanna go home," Chikaru sobbed softly. "I really wanna go home..."

"It's alright," Miyuki smiled. "I know exactly how you feel. In my first year, I was so homesick I was crying all the time. I thought I was an ugly, ungrateful brat for feeling homesick and that everyone else who wasn't homesick was somehow better than me."

"I miss shopping with my mum," Chikaru cried softly. "I miss playing with my little brothers. I miss watching anime with my dad. I want to be with them but they're so far away."

"I know," Miyuki nodded. "To a point where I regretted coming. Your body isn't the issue, it's just an excuse. Lots of girls your age are worried about their bodies. I was. Shizuma was too."

"Ey," Shizuma winked. "Speak for yourself, hm?"

"Oh?" Miyuki chuckled. "I distinctly remember you rubbing a smelly salve on your chest to make your breasts grow, Shizuma. And don't bother denying it."

"Well..." Shizuma looked away slightly. "I, uh... well, it worked," she crossed her arms and winked at Chikaru. "See?" she said, pointing at her breasts. "A great result! Any sceptic would say I grew them myself, but it's all the salve."

"And if you believe her, I know a bridge in Brooklyn Shizuma could sell you," Miyuki smirked at Shizuma.

Shizuma shook her head. "Come on, Shion-kun. Let's leave these two to talk. Miyuki can handle it."

Shion looked reluctant, but followed Shizuma back to the onsen. Miyuki and Chikaru sat together for a while.

"Feeling better now that it's all out?" Miyuki asked.

Chikaru nodded. And she did feel a lot better. "I'm still growing," Chikaru said. "I guess I shouldn't be worried. And... I know I need to do this to grow up."

"That doesn't mean you're not allowed to miss your family," Miyuki said.

"Miyuki-sempai?" Chikaru asked. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why don't you and Shizuma-sempai use suffixes when you address each other?" Chikaru asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Miyuki thought for a moment. "Well, Shizuma and I have known each other for a long time. We used to be regular playmates when we were toddlers and our families have always been close. Shizuma was actually promised to one of my cousins when we were younger, but Shizuma's father broke off the engagement a few years after Shizuma's mother died. My mother wasn't too happy about that, but our families remained close. It's no coincidence that we become roommates. I think Hanazono-sama hoped I'd have a calming influence on Shizuma."

Chikaru watched Miyuki for a moment, carefully studying her eyes. And then it hit her.

"You're in love with Shizuma-sempai, aren't you?"

Miyuki gasped and was visibly startled by Chikaru's uncanny insight. "I... How can you suggest? Oh, don't be silly. How can..."

"I've seen things," Chikaru said. "There's a lot of girls who love other girls in this school. And there are so many make-out points around the lake. There's a twinkle in your eye whenever you talk about Shizuma, and a slight blush."

Miyuki narrowed her eyes slightly. "I thought I was the one trying to comfort you, Chikaru-chan. I am engaged to be wed as soon as I graduate."

"But... you do love Shizuma," Chikaru stated again.

Miyuki looked her in the eye. Long and hard. "No," she said. "I don't love Shizuma. I don't love Shizuma because I can't afford to love Shizuma. Loving Shizuma would mean I'd lose everything. My family. My wealth. My honor. My future. So no. I don't love Shizuma."

"But you do," Chikaru pressed.

Miyuki closed her eyes. It was answer enough for Chikaru. "Why don't you tell her?"

"And become flavor of the month number 14?" Miyuki chuckled wryly. "No thank you. I don't think she'll believe me anyway."

"I've never loved anyone before," Chikaru said. "I suppose I shouldn't talk."

"Your time will come, Chikaru-chan," Miyuki smiled. "And I hope that person will return your love. You deserve it. Now, shall we return to the Onsen?"

The girls did so, and Chikaru was feeling a bit more confident. Or at least confident enough to face her friends already in the Onsen. A few moments later, Chikaru was confidently sitting next to Shion at the side of the Onsen while Shizuma and Miyuki were chatting at the other side.

The two girls watched Shizuma as she stood to her waist in the water and splashed Miyuki.

"Shizuma-sempai is quite confident about her body," Shion said as she lounged back slightly to enjoy the heat of the water. "It's not surprising she has so many girlfriends."

"She is so pretty," Chikaru said. "I wish I had a body like she has."

"I, uh," Shion blushed slightly as she looked away. "I think you're really pretty too."

Chikaru frowned for a moment. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but you don't have to lie. It's enough that you're my friend."

"No, uh," Shion blushed even more. "I, uh, really mean it. I think you're really pretty. And I'm really happy that you're my friend."

Now it was Chikaru's turn to blush, as she didn't quite know how to reply. Fortunately, Shion wasn't expecting a reply. It took a while before both girls started to chat lightly again, and for a moment they watched the moon together while a few meters to the right of them, Shizuma was bombarding a long-suffering Miyuki with sultry innuendo's.

Chikaru felt sorry for Miyuki, because she suspected Miyuki wanted nothing more than to act on the suggestive remarks that Shizuma kept aiming at her direction, but couldn't... while the normally so perceptive Shizuma was completely oblivious to the pain she was causing a best friend who ached to be a lover.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. And she was content to spend some time with her friend Shion.

**

* * *

**

Next chapter will focus more on Chikaru and Shion.


	4. Chapter 4 : Cosplay

Hi everyone! It's been a while since a last update, but I hope the wait hasn't been too annoying. I'll be updating Yaya for President pretty soonish as well. Hope you enjoy! Some swearing in this one, btw. Highly appropriate imho though.

* * *

**Opposites:**

Chapter 4 - Cosplay!

Minamoto Chikaru was having a wonderful time. After a long day of school, she was sitting on a bench just outside of Lulim Academy enjoying the sun on her face as she lay her head back and closed her eyes. Summer would soon arrive.

For the socially active and plucky Chikaru, the opportunity to be lazy had rarely presented itself. But when it did, Chikaru made a habit of it to enjoy being lazy for as long as she could.

In truth, she was waiting for a certain someone to tell her good news. If someone wanted something as much as her friend did, the news could only be good. The only thing she couldn't decide on what to do was how to spend the time waiting. She had already finished her homework and she wasn't in the mood to study. There was a manga in her backpack, but she didn't feel like reading that either. She wasn't hungry, so she didn't feel like eating the kitkat she had been saving since lunch either. So, instead of all those things, she decided to be lazy and be lost in thought.

So many things to be excited about. The coming good news, the cosplay club meeting, visiting day and summer break.

Aside from hanging out with her friends, Chikaru found herself much more involved with clublife these days. Chikaru was a smart girl, and the base curriculum offered very little challenge for her. She breezed through her homework, her studies and her classes, and was left with a plenthora of free time. Most of which she used for clubs. She had become a member of the Tailoring club, the Photography club, the Debate club, the Flower Pressing club, the Picnic club, the Chocolate Tasting Club and, most recently, the Cosplay club. As a student and as a person, Chikaru was well-liked by her fellow students and teachers alike.

It was an odd feeling to her. At her old school, Chikaru was never part of the popular crowd and never actively sought it out. But the girls at Lulim were all so nice.

"Chikaru-chan!" sounded coming from the path leading towards Lulim. "Chikaru-chan!"

Chikaru opened her eyes and saw a panting Shion running towards her. Shion slammed down next to Chikaru and gasped for a few moments from running so much. But even her tiredness couldn't hide her massive smile.

"My my, Shion-chan," Chikaru said while laying her hand on Shion's shoulder. "Have you been running all the way from Spica?"

"Yes," Shion panted. "They picked me, Chikaru-chan. They picked me!"

Chikaru smiled broadly. "I knew they would. They'd be fools not to recognize talent."

"You're actually looking at the secretary for the Spica Student Council!" Shion laughed heartily. "Oh, this is what I've been wanting ever since I was a child. Wait till I tell my grandmother... she'll be so proud."

Chikaru nodded. For the last month, Chikaru and Shion had spent a lot of time preparing for the interview. Secretaries to the Student Council were picked from only the most promising students and often ended up having a political career in the school in some way. In fact, many student council presidents once started as humble secretaries.

Shion had insisted on a gruelling regiment of preparation. Chikaru had helped Shion study up on the history of the school, internal politics and traditions. Besides that, Chikaru had helped her to act with a little more flair and openness than the introverted Shion usually did. At one point, Shizuma had helped out with diction and poise, but her help turned out to be slightly counterproductive in the end. Miyuki, who was already a Student Council Secretary, provided some invaluable insights into the nature of the position.

The interviews were in front of the entire council and were so demanding and intense that only the best and the brightest was selected, hence the sheer efforts put into the preparation. But Chikaru had never doubted her friend: she had known few people who were as driven or as determined as Shion was.

"I'm just glad you're so happy," Chikaru smiled. "I've never seen you smile so happily as today. It makes everything worth it."

"I'm so happy!" Shion said cheerfully. "And I owe it all to you!"

Without warning, Shion embraced Chikaru and gently kissed her on the forehead. Chikaru was startled by this sudden move and was about to pull away... but something in the core of her being enjoyed the warmth and the feeling that accompanied the embrace. She gently let her hands slide along Shion's waist and returned the embrace.

A few seconds later, both girls realized where they were and quickly broke the embrace. They sat next to each other on the bench, stiff as boards, avoiding each other's eyes and blushing a deep shade of red.

"Uh, sorry, I, uh..." Shion started.

"It's, uhm, okay. I, uh..." Chikaru stammered.

"No, uh, really... Sorry."

"Let's just, uhm, drop it," Chikaru said. "How about some sweets to celebrate? The cafeteria is still open."

"Good idea!" Shion said, grateful for the change of topic. The two girls got up from the bench and followed the path to the Dorms where the cafeteria was located.

"And afterwards, we could visit one of the clubs," Chikaru smiled. She'd been trying to get Shion to come out of her shell, with ample help from Shizuma. Club life had been a very effective way of doing so.

"Chocolate Tasting Club!" Shion exclaimed eagerly.

"Sorry," Chikaru giggled. "But that club is only open on Friday. But how about the Cosplay club?"

Shion raised an eyebrow. "I... don't know. Isn't that for rabid Otaku with weird fetishes?"

"Nah," Chikaru chuckled. "Well... it is, yes... but there are normal people in the club too."

When they passed Miator they found Miyuki sitting on the steps just outside one of the exits near the classrooms. She was quietly reading a book, but smiled as she looked up.

"Miyuki-sempai!" Shion said and rushed up to her friend. "Have you heard? I..."

"I heard," Miyuki smiled. "Congratulations. I never once doubted that you'd be perfect for the job."

Miyuki, in her capacity as Student Council Secretary for Miator, had been invaluable in helping Shion prepare for the interview. Chikaru looked on and felt nothing but pride for both her friends. In her few months here, she had already seen pointless petty squabbles between Spica and Miator, with Lulim often caught in the middle. It gave her hope to see two friends from different schools be so passionate about unification in school politics.

"When... If we become Student Council Presidents," Shion said. "We'll do things differently. No more pettiness. No more fights. No more mud slinging."

"Agreed," said Miyuki as she clasped Shion's hand. "A new era for Spica and Miator. One of friendship and cooperation. We'll do things better, you and I."

Chikaru watched on. A pact had been made.

"Why don't you apply for Student Council Secretary, Chikaru-chan?" Shion asked. "I'm sure you'll do well."

Chikaru blinked. "What? Me? In politics? No way. Just, no way. Ain't gonna happen, uh-uh..."

"What are you doing here, Miyuki-sempai?" Shion asked. "I thought Miator still had classes?"

"They have," Miyuki replied softly. "Let me explain. The second years at Miator have an extra mandatory course in 'Good Catholic Ethics'. The idea is to teach good moral values. In practise, however, Wanatabe-sensei is... somewhat over the top."

"A nutcase, you mean," Shion rolled her eyes.

"Your words, not mine," Miyuki replied diplomatically. "Let's just said that she focuses on things that are in her eyes wrong and thus evil. Disney. Harry Potter. Plastic spoons. Cartoons. Cellphones. Abortion. Homosexuality. Vaccines..."

"Vaccines?" Shion interrupted.

"Yes," Miyuki rolled her eyes. "God created the perfect diseases and that sneaky Devil is developing cures..."

"Do people like that still exist?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Miyuki said. "How unfortunate that I developed food poisoning from a faulty batch of shrimp. Luckily, I only felt the effects for about an hour."

Chikaru giggled. "Let me guess. The class takes an hour?"

"Yes," Miyuki replied. "A very fortuitous happenstance when you don't feel like listening to an hour of nonsense and abuse. I'm just worried about Shizuma."

"Why is that?"

"Well," Miyuki said. "Most girls just grin and bear it. A smaller group gets very offended but chooses to let it pass. An even smaller group gets very offended and gets vocal about it. The smallest groups gets very offended, vocal and on the brink of physical violence. Shizuma belongs to the last group."

The double doors of the exit were suddenly thrown open, and out came Shizuma with an expression on her face that could scare a Norse god. There was no doubt about it that she was about to explode, gritting her teeth as she did and taking deep breaths.

"You are hellbound, Hanazono Shizuma-san!" shouted the Wanatabe-sensei as Shizuma stormed out. "HELLBOUND!"

A seething Shizuma whirled around to face her. "You know what? Screw you! Yeah, screw you! And screw Heaven! And if all lesbians go to Hell, then that's the place I wanna go to anyway!"

Everybody, including the teacher, was taken aback by Shizuma's outburst, accompanied by foul language. The teacher grit her teeth and turned around. "I'll pray for your soul, Hanazono-san," she called back.

"My soul is well enough without your efforts!" Shizuma shouted back. "Bloody hell," she turned to her friends. "I swear, that bitch always gets to me."

"That was a highly articulate outburst," Miyuki said. "Next time, be more subtle. On the other hand, I'm sure Wanatabe-san will pass you... or she'd have to endure you for another year."

"Small mercy," Shizuma chuckled. "Sorry about that, she always gets the better of me. Oh, hey, Shion-chan! Congrats!"

Her mood switched instantly, Shizuma hurled herself towards Shion, took her into a fierce hug and treated her to a kiss to the forehead, much like Shion had done to Chikaru earlier. Chikaru gasped as she watched Shion blush bright red as she was released from the hug and felt a strange sensation twisting around in her stomach, a feeling Chikaru couldn't place at first.

Envy?

Jealousy?

Nah... Couldn't be.

"Well," Shizuma said as she grasped the bag she was holding tightly. A quick glance inside revealed a small blanket, a bottle of wine and some niblets. "I'd stay to chat, but I've got a big date in a moment. A prime catch she is, and that's all I'm going to say about it! Ja ne!"

That said, Shizuma was off with a spring in her step. It left Miyuki to shake her head in annoyance, apologize to her friends and move on. Shion and Chikaru looked at each other, shrugged and went to the cafeteria.

In the cafeteria, Shion and Chikaru decided to celebrate by picking two pieces from the ample supply of cakes.

"I'm really excited about Visiting Day next week," Chikaru said before taking a bit. "My parents and my little brothers will be coming and I'll get to show them around campus and the Dorms and the schools and the forest and the..."

As enthusiastic as Chikaru was, as apathetic was Shion. Chikaru noticed that Shion was quietly looking away while she was talking.

"What's wrong?" Chikaru asked with some concern. "Aren't you looking forward to seeing your parents again?"

"They're not coming," Shion said without emotion in her voice.

"Uh?" Chikaru blinked. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Because they're overseas, have a business meeting, an important luncheon, or whatever excuse they'll make up," Shion shrugged. "It's okay, I don't care."

"You don't mean that," Chikaru tried.

"I do," Shion said. "My grandmother promised she would come next year. She's just too busy this year, but... that's a lot more than my parents promised. My parents, I... don't need them."

Chikaru put down the spoon, took Shion's hand and squeezed slightly. "That's not true."

Shion looked Chikaru in the eye, and for a moment Chikaru found Shion to be completely unreadable. "Maybe," Shion said. "Maybe not. But that won't change anything."

"Look," Chikaru said. "I don't want you alone and sad when everybody else is happy. Why don't you come with me and meet my family? I'm sure they'll really like you."

"I don't know," Shion said. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"You won't," Chikaru assured.

Shion remained silent for a short while. "I'd like that. Thank you."

In the background, a stately Miator fifth year strolled by and sat down a few booths away from them. The student in question was Ogawa Tsukiumi, one of the Etoiles. There were plenty of lesbian couples at Astraea Hill, but the current Etoiles were the epitome. Friends since kindergarten, girlfriends since attending Miator, they were an inspiration to the students alike to come out into the open and confess their love for their respective girlfriends. The Etoiles literally radiated the love they felt for each other and it was obvious that they'd be spending the rest of their lives together.

"Hm," Shion wondered. "I wonder where Noriko-sempai is. You rarely see those two apart."

"Well, even couples need some time apart, I guess," Chikaru said. It was easy to see how much these two girls loved each other. Though Chikaru was a proponent of all forms of love, the concept of girls loving girls made Chikaru slightly uncomfortable. She didn't quite know why, but somehow it scared her a little. Though she liked Shizuma, for example, and considered her a friend, her openness towards her own sexuality intimidated her. Thankfully, she had Shion who was much like a bastion of sanity and kept Chikaru grounded.

Though she had made many friends at Lulim, Shion had become her best friend in all the school. She felt she could discuss anything with her and share her deepest thoughts. In a way they were complete opposites: Chikaru the dreamer, Shion the realist. Chikaru outgoing and social, Shion an introverted loner. But that was the whole reason they got along so well.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru grinned while Shion finished her cake. "Let's do cosplay!"

Shion sighed. "Do I have to?"

**

* * *

**

"I'm not so sure nurses wear shirts that are this short," Shion bit her lip as she held up a nurse-costume. "Hardly realistic. Come on, this is the otaku version of a nurse!"

All around them, there was a buzz of girls running back and forth with costumes of all shapes and sizes, ranging from army uniforms to racing suits to ridiculously detailed anime-costumes.

"Oh, come on, don't be a spoil-sport," Chikaru said.

"I'm not doing this, I'll look silly!"

"I'll make you a deal," Chikaru said. "I'll wear this. Then we'll both be silly."

Shion blinked. "Is that..."

The costume Chikaru was holding was a maid costume with a short skirt. However, an additional cat's tail and a neko-mimi were part of it.

"If I put on this... you put on that maidy catgirl-costume?"

"Yes."

"Deal," a suddenly very eager Shion announced. "Where's the changing room?"

"Oh, there's some over there and some over there and..."

It took Chikaru, who was quite adept at Cosplay, only several minutes to put on the costume. The only thing which gave her trouble was pinning in the tail because she couldn't see where it would connect. One day, she knew she would be able to make her own costumes, but she still had a lot to learn.

She was surprised to see Sei arriving at the club. Sei, like some of the older members, made her own costumes, and she had a costume in a grey dufflebag to show off to the other members.

"Sei-chan, ohayo," greeted Chikaru.

"Oh, hello Chikaru-chan."

"Aren't you supposed to be with Shizuma-san?"

Sei blinked. "Why do say that?"

"Well," Chikaru said down while Sei started unpacking her dufflebag. Inside was a skin-tight leather outfit which looked very much like the suit Evangelion's Rei wore in combat. "I saw Shizuma-san earlier and she had all kinds of stuff with her. And she said she was going on a date. And I thought she was going with you. You are her girlfriend after all."

A flash of deep sadness crossed Sei's eyes. "Shi-chan's girlfriend... if only. Oh, if only. If only she could love me back."

"But... doesn't Shizuma like you?" Chikaru asked confused.

Sei smiled sadly. "Yes. Yes, Shi-chan likes me. But no more than that."

"You love her," Chikaru said. "And she's spent a lot of time with her. Shouldn't you, um, you know, be a couple?"

"Yes," Sei nodded. "I love her. It's hard not to fall in love her. But Shizuma... she isn't made for just one person, hence her many girlfriends. It'll be a very special person to win her heart and claim her for her own, but... I know that will not me. To me, Shizuma is the most magnificent and gorgeous girl I've ever met, but to Shizuma, I'm just one of many."

Chikaru nodded. "I like Shizuma-san as a friend, but I also think it's not fair that she toys with the feelings of all those girls."

Sei chuckled briefly. "Chikaru-chan," she started. "I'm actually quite proud that Shizuma has noticed me and chose me to be one of her girlfriends. It might not seem like it, but she is actually quite picky. Shizuma, she's... full of passion, full of life, beautiful as a flower, a rebel who plays by her own rules. Is it so strange so many girls are attracted to her? Her kisses are heavenly and when you lay in her arms... When she makes love to you..."

Chikaru's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Girls... can make love?"

Sei giggled and took a moment to ruffle Chikaru's hair. "You're so cute and innocent, Chikaru-chan. Try to hold on to that for as long as you can. But to answer your question, yes they can. And it's wonderful."

Sei put the costume on the table and sighed. "One day, I'll find a girl who can love me as I can love her. And then I'll be able to forget Shi-chan."

Chikaru lowered her gaze. "It's not fair."

Sei stopped for a moment. "It isn't. But let's just say that I knew it was not going to last when I started this ill-fated relationship with her. But I want to enjoy it as much as possible while it does. Heh, in a way you're luckier than I am."

"How do you mean?"

"Shi-chan considers you a friend. She has fewer friends than she has girlfriends and she's fiercely loyal to them. You'll still be spending time with Shi-chan when I have long been forgotten," she smiled sadly. "Cute costume, by the way. I think your friend will really appreciate it."

"Yeah," Chikaru giggled. "She didn't want to put on her nurse-costume, but when I said I'd wear this, she almost ran into the changing booth."

"Surprise, surprise," Sei laughed as she watched Chikaru. "Lovely long legs, cat-ears."

Shion appeared from the booth, looking very uncomfortable. She constantly tried to yank her skirt down to get it at a more comfortable height, but only managed to expose her midriff. The nurse's cap in her hair was barely kept in place, but it finished the image of a damn sexy nurse.

"You look so cute," Chikaru swooned. "See, I'm just as silly as you."

Cat-girl Chikaru made some exaggerated movements with her arms, pretending to be a cat cleaning herself with her paws while making 'nyou, nyou, nyou' sounds.

Shion gulped and suddenly seemed a lot paler than before. It was then that Chikaru felt a weird pang in her stomach. It was a weird feeling, but a good feeling. A warm feeling.

Shion suddenly looked a lot paler.

"Oh, my!" Chikaru gasped when she saw a drop of blood trickling from Shion's nose. Shion quickly responded and wiped it away.

"It's, uh, nothing, just a little nosebleed."

"Come on, sit down and hold your head forward."

In the background, Sei watched on with a sad smile. "Hold on those feelings, kids," she whispered. "Find happiness. Before it's too late."

* * *

Next time : Chikaru's confusion, the vagaries of visiting day, and accidentally finding out a juicy secret.


	5. Chapter 5 : Fauxpas!

Hello everyone,

Contrary to popular belief, this story is no abandoned. Not in the slightest, in fact. But sadly I have so many things to do and so many stories to write these days that I'm not as prolific as I used to be. I am dedicated to my stories, however, so abandonment is a word I will not apply to my stories. I thank you all for bearing with me and present you a new chapter, which I happily finished just hours before my trip to Finland. Hope you'll like it!

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapter 5 : Faux-pas!

Trying her best to look inconspicuous, Chikaru slowly made her way towards the school library. Of course, as inconspicuous as someone could be while wearing a long raincoat, sunglasses and a wide-rimmed fedora hat. She had opted to take side-routes and duck into the woods whenever someone was near... which wasn't many at 9 o'clock in the evening. The dusk offered her some cover, but she would have to hurry as the library would close soon.

After a harrowing gauntlet of dodging girls, Chikaru finally came to her place of destination. She positioned herself at the door and peeked inside. To her delight, the library was deserted, save for the librarian on duty who was probably preparing to close off.

The library was mostly self-regulated by the students and librarians were usually elected. Since Chikaru didn't know any of them personally, she hoped to get away with what she wanted to do without shame.

"Hi, Chikaru-chan!" sounded as soon as Chikaru tried to sneak into the library. Chikaru froze and slowly, very slowly turned around. Facing her was a very much smiling Sei who was holding a stack of books.

Chikaru closed her eyes and fought a blush. What was Sei doing here? And why did she have to be here now.

"I, uh, I thought..." Chikaru swallowed hard.

"Ai-san has the flu," Sei said. "And since I used to be a librarian before I became a nurse-assistant, I was asked to fill the gap in the roster. But why are you here so late, Chikaru-chan? I was about to close up."

Chikaru sighed heavily. She had come so far and had put so much effort into getting here. The little Lulim student gathered up all her courage and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. As soon as Sei heard Chikaru's request, she smiled broadly.

"Don't worry," Sei said as she gently took Chikaru by the hand and led her into the library. "Just about every girl in school asks about it at some point in time. And almost everybody's embarrassed about it at first. But it's okay to be curious, especially after that conversation we had a few days ago."

She led Chikaru into a set of bookstacks. Judging by the state of the carpet and the spines of the books, this was a well-travelled area of the library with much read books. It came as no surprise, as this section of the library contained books concerning every single aspect of love between women. Some would say it was the largest collection of such books in the entire world.

Chikaru had no idea just where to start. It was then that Sei walked to the stacks and picked out a few books. "Here," she said and handed Chikaru the books. "These'll give you a good start. Now, I have to close off today, but next time just ask me and I'll keep the library open for you so you can browse at your leisure."

"Thank you," Chikaru whispered hurriedly, handed Sei her library card and made a dash towards the exit.

Now she was presented with a different problem: she was now wearing a very conspicuous disguise AND was carrying a load of books with potentially embarrassing content.

Fortunately, it was Family Day tomorrow, a bi-annual occasion when parents and friends of students could visit their loved ones and would be free to walk the normally enclosed school grounds. It was usually accompanied by a festival offered student made treats, crafts and all sorts of games. In fact, most girls were working hard right now on the finishing touches of the festival stands and the produce.

It was for this reason that the lakeside, usually swarming with couples at this time of night, was completely deserted, meaning a quiet refuge for Chikaru. She especially had worked her butt off making cookies so that she could take this moment of free time.

The quiet place by the lake near a few natural rock formations was not well known and it was light enough to afford reading. The first book she picked up turned out to be a rather explicit 'how to'-manual about the technical aspects of love between two women. The pictures were enough to make blood spurt from her nose, yet it was glorious trainwreck enough for her not to be able to look away.

She finally did manage to look away before all her blood would leave her body through her nose. She put a hanky to her nostrils and picked up the second book, thankfully a relatively tame book containing love poetry.

'Beautiful-throned, immortal Aphrodite,

Daughter of Zeus, beguiler, I implore thee,

Weigh me not down with weariness and anguish

O thou most holy!'

In a way, Chikaru had always suspected that she was somehow different. In school, she had no romantic interest in boys, nor interested in all the speculations from her friends who wondered if boys were 'into them'. Though she had gotten along with boys more than fine, there was no friendship which had ever developed into something romantic, though not from lack of trying from plenty of boys. She'd never been kissed or kissed anyone else before. In fact, every single poster she had ever had on her wall at home had had a sexy girl on it.

Being in an environment when girls were coupled to each other left and right had caused Chikaru to think about her own sexuality. Firstly, there was worry on her mind. 'Am I normal?' was a question that was on the foreground. Certainly, on school grounds, she was. But Astraea wasn't the world out there. Outside, she'd be judged more harshly.

She was also worried about another thing: 'What will my family think?'. Chikaru's beloved parents were hardly a traditional Japanese family. Her parents started dating in college, had three children and yet had never married, something which was practically unheard of in Japanese society. They had always been wonderful loving parents, but still the fear persisted.

Chikaru had figured research was in order: she wasn't the first person in history who had questioned her own sexuality, so she had hoped to find answers in these books. So far, the beautiful poetry book did much to soothe her troubled mind. The poetry certainly didn't feel wrong at all.

Just as she turned the page to read another poem, she heard a yelp coming from somewhere near her.

"Hello?" she asked softly, slightly worried as the chance for getting caught with these books was a real possibility.

She heard another sound, somewhat closer to a moan this time. Chikaru gently put the book away and decided to investigate. She made her way into the woods, making sure not to make too much noise. She came to a small clearing a few yards away from the lake.

And then she saw it, the source of the strange noises. Chikaru made sure to hide herself behind the bushes as she looked in at the clearing. There, on top of a picnic canvas next to a pile of hastily discarded food and wine, lay two girls. One she instantly recognized as being Shizuma: her long silver mane was unmistakable.

The two girls were obviously unclad judging from the disheveled uniforms and the underwear on top, making Chikaru realize that she had stumbled upon a very private moment. Moans and sighs could be heard coming from both women, accompanied by the sound of kisses.

Chikaru couldn't quite make out who the other girl was, but she could see that she was quite a bit older than Shizuma, possibly a fifth or even sixth year student. Despite the other girl being the senior, it was obvious that Shizuma was in full control of their play and exerted that control with glee and diligence.

Feeling much like an intruder, part of her wanted to run and leave the girls to their privacy. On the other hand, right in front of her was something that made theory practise. Chikaru found nothing disgusting about it. In fact, it helped to erase all earlier doubts from her mind. There was a purity in the spectacle taking place in front of her, as Shizuma gently slid against the other girl's body and treated her to the gentlest of kisses.

While trying to stem the tide of blood gushing from her nose, she continued to observe the girls. Shizuma's lovemaking started to become a little wilder as she lay on top of the unknown girl while gently cupping one of her breasts, slowly and gently kneading it in a circular motion. With a slow pace, Shizuma led a trail of kisses from the girl's neck, to her shoulder where she treated her to a brief nibble.

The other girl threw her head back in sheer delight. And it was then that Chikaru recognized who she was.

In shock, Chikaru crawled back, accidentally placing her knee on a twig, causing a resounding snap.

Chikaru froze in terror. Shizuma had obviously heard it and looked up briefly.

"Shizuma-chan," gasped the other girl. "Don't stop..."

For a moment, Chikaru was afraid she had been spotted, but she realized that Shizuma was looking in her general direction, but not directly at her location. What was obvious from Shizuma's smirk, though, was that she was aware of an audience and decided to give whomever was out there a better view and a raunchier show, as she assaulted the other girl again with due diligence and at a faster pace.

It was enough: Chikaru already felt like a hentai for not leaving earlier, but she would lose all blood in her body if she stayed here. Besides, the double shock had almost caused her brain to shut down. She crept away quietly, gathered up the books and ran all the way back to the dorms.

Chikaru found a bench to sit on, stuffed the books under it and covered it with the coat of her uniform. She started rubbing her cheeks to try to lessen her blush, and hoped the night chill would do the rest. Try as she might, she couldn't put the image out of her mind.

"Evening Chikaru-chan," greeted Miyuki behind her. "Are you taking a break?"

Chikaru almost turned into a statue on the spot. She looked up slowly and saw Miyuki standing there wearing a cap, a whistle and a clipboard. Just as she was about to greet Miyuki properly, the latter girl turned around viciously, grabbed her whistle and blew on it. At the shrill shriek, two girls on the other side of the square stood at attention. "Hey, you two! Bring those frames back to the entrance of the hill and go set it up. NOW!"

Miyuki turned back to Chikaru. "Sorry about that, I... Chikaru-chan, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Chikaru couldn't meet Miyuki's eyes and stared straight forward. It only served as an invitation for Miyuki to sit down next to Chikaru and rub her shoulders. "Are you alright?" Miyuki asked again. "Did someone pick on you?"

Chikaru shook her head no, and was faced with a terrible dilemma. Sure, Shizuma was a friend, but Miyuki was also. And Miyuki was also Shizuma's friend. So it wouldn't really be a betrayal. With that logic in the back of her head, Chikaru prepared to tell her tale.

"I, uh... What if I saw Shizuma-chan with... someone?" Chikaru stammered.

Miyuki sighed heavily, an annoyed expression tugging at her features. "That is not unusual, Chikaru-chan. I'm sorry you had to bear witness to Shizuma's debauchery."

"I, uh, saw her with..." Chikaru leaned in to whisper in her friend's ear. And as soon as Miyuki heard the name, her eyes grew wide.

"Has she lost her mind?" Miyuki all but snarled. "Chikaru, say nothing about this to anyone. Ever! And don't worry, I have a few words to mince with Shizuma."

**

* * *

**

It was close to midnight when Shizuma finally returned to the Dorm. A self-satisfied stride in her step, she skipped towards her room, and entered.

"Honey," Shizuma joked as she started to remove her coat and moved to toss it on her bed. "I'm home!"

SMACK! sounded as Miyuki's hand collided with Shizuma's cheek. Shizuma's head reeled to one side and after the surprise had faded, she gently rubbed her reddening skin.

"What was that for?" Shizuma demanded. "Ouchie!"

Miyuki grit her teeth and balled her fists as her anger mounted. "What was that for, she asks," Miyuki spoke in a low voice. "Shizuma, you slept with one of the Etoiles!"

"So?" Shizuma shrugged.

"So? SO?" Miyuki took a few deep breaths to recover. "Don't you realize what you've done? Tsukiumi-sama and Noriko-sama are considered to be the perfect couple, wise and knowledgeable beyond their years. Their word is law to so many girls here, and their example shines across the entirety of Astraea Hill. Shizuma, do you even realize what you've done? If this comes out… Shizuma, the entire Etoile system could come crashing down! A hundred years of tradition gone because Shizuma wanted a quick roll in the hay!"

"Hey!" Shizuma challenged. "It is not my fault Noriko-sama can't perform in bed! They might look like the perfect couple on the outside, but they have deeply, deeply seated emotional problems, Miyuki. It's not my fault that Tsukiumi-chan needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to satisfy her desires!"

"Oh, and Shizuma is only too happy to supply, huh?" Miyuki snarled. "Out come the tears and off come the clothes!"

"And then comes the gir…" Shizuma grinned, but swallowed her words when her ill-timed joke only served to make Miyuki even angrier. "Don't think harshly of me," Shizuma said softly. "Tsukiumi-chan needed someone and I happened to be there. That's all there is to it. She was the one who started flirting with me, not the other way around."

Miyuki didn't calm down however. In fact, her anger continued to mount. "Oh, and you were only too happy to provide, weren't you? You selfish brat, Shizuma. You selfish, selfish brat."

"Selfish?" now it was Shizuma's turn to be angry. "I thought about her, not only myself. Those nights we shared weren't purely about me."

"Nights? So this happened more than once?"

"Yep. What is your problem, anyway?"

"How many hearts have you trampled on without so much as a second thought, Shizuma?" Miyuki spoke in a low voice. "Do you have any idea of the damage you leave in your wake? You don't love Tsukiumi-sama."

Shizuma narrowed her eyes. If Miyuki wanted to play hardball, Shizuma could do the same. "Tsukiumi-sama certainly didn't seem damaged during out kisses. Nor when she was moaning my name in ecstasy. And you're right. I don't love her. And she doesn't love me. In fact, Tsukiumi-sama loves Noriko-sama, and very much so. Like I said, she needed someone and I was there. And Tsukiumi-sama is very attractive, after all. You know what your problem is Miyuki? You need to go out there, find a nice girl and get yourself stupendously laid! That'll clear up any of your own problems!"

That was too much for Miyuki. She burst into tears, pushed past the flabbergasted Shizuma and ran into the hallways. She just couldn't stop. She ran and ran and ran, though the cafeteria, out the dorm into the forest. Branches and twigs whipped her across her body as she ran, until finally she collapsed near the lake and lay there sobbing quietly.

"Damn you, Shizuma," she whispered softly. "Damn you... Damn you..."

**

* * *

**

Chikaru was still up around twelve. For one thing, she couldn't sleep. It was partly because of the excitement of seeing her family again, partly of what she had seen earlier and partly about feeling guilty. She wasn't sure she could look Shizuma in the eye tomorrow.

Instead she sat in the lounge reading something, as light's out had been postponed due to work still taking place for the festivities tomorrow. Unfortunately for Chikaru's peace of mind, the person who came down the stairs was Shizuma.

"Hello," Shizuma greeted cheerfully. "You wouldn't happened to have seen Miyuki running about the place?"

"N-no," Chikaru stammered. "I mean, yes. She sorta ran out. I tried to say something to her, but she was already gone."

"Figured as much," Shizuma shrugged. "She'll come back. We had a bit of a fight, you know?"

Chikaru swallowed hard, stood up and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for betraying you, Shizuma-sama!" Chikaru yelled out while bowing as deeply forward as she could.

"What I have told you about bowing?" Shizuma smirked. "And what's this about a betrayal?"

"I... I saw you earlier... w-with..."

"Ah!" Shizuma half-smiled. "I get it now. I thought it was Miyuki looking in on us. Did you enjoy the show?" she winked. "Well, if I had known it was you, I probably wouldn't have been so hard on her."

"Y-y.. I mean, sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble with Miyuki."

"Ah, we had worse fights," Shizuma shrugged. "She didn't even throw stuff at me this time, so it's not that bad. Seriously, it feels as if she's like a mom sometimes. As for you..." Shizuma said and placed her hands on her shoulders. "No, there's nothing to worry about. Yes, I'm still your friend. No, I will not hold it against you. Now get some sleep."

Chikaru, grateful for Shizuma's forgiveness, looked up and smiled, only now realizing how tired she was. She nodded and moved to the stairs.

"Chikaru-chan," Shizuma called after her. "About Tsukiumi-sama. I don't worry about me, but she could get into real trouble if our affair saw the light of day. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Chikaru said. "I will say nothing."

"Pleasant dreams," Shizuma winked at her.

**

* * *

**

Chikaru waited for Shion at the entrance of the Hill, where all three schools had set up welcoming platforms for the parents of their students. Thinks were already getting busy at the stands, where parents and their children were spending time together eating or playing games. Especially Lulim had gone all out setting up activities, ranging from cosplay contests and make-up booths to lessons in pancake baking and even a small petting zoo.

Miator's main attraction would be the kissing booth, which was slated to open an hour from now. Rumor had it that Shizuma would be the main kisser. The 'Girls Only!' sign above the booth disappointed many a boy in the crowd who had seen Shizuma walking amongst them.

Beyond the festival there were several picnic tables set up where parents could sit and talk to their children away from the noise.

At the center of the welcoming platform was a fourth platform, which was reserved for the Etoiles who greeted each and every parent. For all intents and purposes, the Etoiles looked like the perfect couple: hosts to a massive party, elegant and devoted to each other, a love which all girls in the school looked up to.

All girls except for Chikaru. She just couldn't unsee what she had seen. But in a way, it made them seem like people who were more real. Unlike many of the other girls, Chikaru no longer placed them on a pedestal, seeing them not as goddesses but as people with problems and issues just as relevant as anybody else's. In an odd way, it made their relationship seem more genuine and more attainable.

"Hi!" Shion greeted, breaking Chikaru's train of thought.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru hugged her friend, but then looked worried. "You look awful."

Shion blinked. "Gee, thanks. But I know what you mean, I've been up all night doing paperwork for the council."

"You shouldn't let them use you like that," Chikaru said.

"I know," Shion said. "But it's okay. I'm learning a lot from them."

While Shion and Chikaru chatted quietly, a man walked onto the school ground. He paused for a moment to look for somebody, nodded at the Etoile and then walked towards Miator.

He was a lean man, with shoulder-length silver hair and a stride in his step which spoke of his self-confidence. He wore a mostly light gray business suit with a playful red tie and carried a black overcoat over his arm. Most of the mothers in the room turned their heads almost synchronously as he passed by, much to the chagrin of their husbands.

He stopped in the middle of the room and appeared to be looking for someone, when Shizuma burst from the door and pushed to the crowd!

"DAD!" she giggled and flew into his arms.

"Zuma-chan!" he returned the hug and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "It's been far too long since we've seen each other."

"It was your own idea to send me here, dad," Shizuma spoke, a glint of humor in her eyes while she led him to a small picnic table near the edge of the cordoned off area.

"You know what I mean," he replied as he sat down and patted her on the forearm. "You didn't come home for Christmas, or for summer vacation."

"Well, I have several reasons why I didn't come home for Christmas," Shizuma smirked.

"Oh?"

"Sei-chan, Karin-chan, Ruri-chan, Chizuru-chan, Mariko-chan, No…"

"I get the picture," he rolled his eyes. "So you'd rather hang out with luscious girls than with your dear old dad, hm?"

Shizuma's eyes twinkled a little. "Well, dad, let's be honest," Shizuma said. "You're always working. So even when I'm at home, you come in late at night, we have a quick dinner, you head straight to bed and you're off to the office again before I even wake up."

"I, uh, kiss you on the cheek before I leave. While you're sleeping," he tried sheepishly.

"Even so," Shizuma tried. "I love you, dad, but… given the choice between sitting at home in an empty house or spending that time rolling around with a cute girl in my arms, well… the choice is easy."

He nodded briefly. "I understand," he said. "I suppose I… I just wish I could have been more of a father to you, Zuma-chan."

"Are you kidding me?" Shizuma smiled softly. "You were a great father! You always took me along with you to the office after mum passed away. I was playing with my blocks in the boardroom while you had your meetings. You took me with you all over the world. I just wish I hadn't been such a spoiled brat."

"Part of puberty," he shrugged. "But I want to make it up to you. There's a business trip coming up in a couple of weeks..."

"This isn't you working all day and having a nanny show me around the place?" Shizuma winked. "We've had plenty of that in Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Los Angeles, Dubai..."

"No, no, hear me out first," he added quickly. "I only have to be at two meetings, spread out over two weeks. So in between there's plenty of time for some father-daughter stuff. Besides, it's Vienna."

Upon hearing the name of the city in question, Shizuma's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Vienna? I always wanted to go there!"

"I know, I know," he chuckled. "I've already made the arrangements with the Hill for us to leave. The Penguin…"

"Aha! You called her the Penguin too! Yes, I win my bet with Miyuki!"

"Moving on," he rolled his yes. "The SISTER was a bit reluctant to let you go, but after suggesting I should reconsider my donation towards the school's new music hall she relented rather quickly."

"Creative blackmailing," Shizuma grinned. "I love it!"

He nodded. "We'll be finally be able to spend some father-daughter time together, but you can also bring some friends. Why don't you bring Miyuki-chan along?" he said while pointing to Miyuki. Miyuki and her mother and younger brother were quietly chatting. "She looks like she could use a vacation."

"She could use a girlfriend," Shizuma said. "Besides, I owe her an apology and this'll do great. Oh, but dad, there's two other people I want to bring."

"Oh?"

"There's these two girls you see, and…"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, here we go…"

"It's not like that, dad!" Shizuma giggled and swatted at her father's arm. "They both have the potential to fall in love with each other, they just need to realize it. And a trip to one of the most romantic cities in the world…"

"… with you as their matchmaker," he nodded. "I get the picture. But promise it won't cut into our father-daughter time!"

"I promise. Oooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

**

* * *

**

Elsewhere, Chikaru and Shion were preparing to meet Chikaru's parents.

"I'm not sure about this, Chikaru-chan," Shion said as she and her friend sat at one of the picnic tables set up for family weekend. "This is your family, after all. I don't mean to intrude."

"Nonsense," Chikaru said resolutely. "Trust me, they will like you. And there's no reason why you should be alone on family day."

"Thank you, Chikaru-chan," Shion said. "You didn't have to do this."

Around them, parents were mingling and talking with their daughters. Chikaru and Shion glanced over at where Shizuma and her father were sitting. Shizuma was looking joyous as she kept pointing out girl after girl after girl while her father looked at her with a mixture of shock, awe and pride.

And then they came. Two persons, a man and a woman, stepped onto the grounds with two young boys in tow. Shion could easily see that they were Chikaru's family and not only from the way her friend's eyes started to sparkle the moment she saw them. Chikaru had her father's eyes and her mother's blush.

Chikaru rushed up to them and before Shion could blink they are all engaging in a tearful group hug. In Chikaru's family, Shion saw an affection that she was unused to. Shion barely had any connection to her own parents, and they were usually too busy to pay her much mind. The only family who had shown her any affection was her beloved grandmother, the head of the Toumori family. Shion felt like an intruder, and sat there quietly for a moment while averting her eyes.

It wasn't long until Chikaru and her family came to the table. Immediately, the two boys started wildly running around the table and shouted at each other and everything.

"You'd think the drive'd make them tired," Chikaru's mother sighed while her father sighed heavily.

"Boys," he said, looking rather exasperated.

"Boys," he tried again, more sternly. However, the boys did anything but listen and had become even louder.

When her father was starting to look more and more desperate, it was Chikaru who brought solace. "Boys," she said softly. Immediately, her little brothers stopped fiddling about and snapped to attention. "Now boys, you don't want to cause trouble for mum and dad, do you?"

"No, Chikaru nee-sama!" the boys replied cheerfully in choir.

"Good," she said. "now, do you see all the other girls here? They missed their families too. So you have to be really quiet so that you won't disturb them.

Chikaru's mother and father seemed rather relieved that their boys were now peaceful and quiet. "Chikaru-chan," her father scratched his head. "Are you SURE you don't want to come home and go to school in our own neighborhood?"

Chikaru smiled briefly. "The boys won't give you any trouble for a while. Won't you, boys?"

"No, Chikaru nee-sama!"

"Good," Chikaru said. "Later, we'll go play dodgeball, okay?"

The boys remained civil for the rest of the conservation. For Shion it was great fun to see Chikaru interacting with her family. She seemed so alive and vibrant, understandable because Chikaru had told her so many times how much she missed her family. Shion couldn't help but feel like an intruder and tried to keep herself in the background. Chikaru's mother picked up on that, however, and did her best to keep her feeling welcome and inundated her with questions so that she'd be a part of a conversation.

The whole experience made Shion realize just how cold her own relationship with her parents was. Oh, they took a casual interest in her well-being and grade-averages, but no more than that. Most of the time, Shion found herself staring at Chikaru. The blush on her cheeks, the ready smile, the depth of her eyes...

"What do you think, Shion-san?" Shion started out of her daydream by Chikaru's father. It took her a moment to catch her bearings and then realized she had missed a huge chunk of the conversation.

"Uh, I agree?" Shion said quickly in an attempt to save face. Chikaru's father nodded approvingly, so Shion guessed she had given the right answer.

Chikaru had once told Shion that her parents were passionate professional activists and union-organizers. Shion found out that the matter Chikaru's father had brought up was a union dispute between the workers and the upper management of a large company. Amusement turned to shock and anger when Shion learner just which company they were talking about.

"Toumori Electronics can't be allowed to think they can get away with exploiting their employees like they are now," Chikaru's father said resolutely. "We're talking below average wages, bad working conditions for white collar workers, unsafe assembly lines and the flaunting of health benefit plans which are nothing but a pittance."

Shion paled slightly. "T-toumori Electronics?" she gulped.

"Uh, dad?" Chikaru nervously broke in.

"Ito," Chikaru's mother tried softly.

"We will force them to the negotiating table when we start our media offensive," Chikaru's father continued, oblivious to the fast paling girl in front of him. "The upper management will have to budge them. Damn, I swear... they really are a bunch of traditionalists who think times haven't changed."

"Dad..." Chikaru said again, more pressing this time.

Chikaru's bothers realized that something was going on and watched on with great interest.

"The worst of them all is Toumori Tsuyuri-san," Ito said, driving the final nail in his coffin. "That woman is impossible to talk to, completely uncompromising. She runs that company as if it's a shogunate and everybody is her own personal servant. We'll show that dragon-lady just how the little people can bite back."

It was then that Shion exploded. She rose from her seat, slammed her fist on the table and roughly pushed the glasses off the table with one sweep of her other arm. "How dare you!" she shouted at Chikaru's startled father. "HOW DARE YOU? My grandmother is the greatest entrepreneur Japan has ever known! She's personally responsible for our family company's success! You and those other people should be grateful that her genius has allowed so many people to have good jobs rather than bitching about the airconditioning in the office! I will NOT forgive you for badmouthing her! Dammit, your bloody labor dispute is the whole reason why my grandmother can't be here with me today!"

With a mixture of anger and sadness, a tear-stricken Shion stomped off mid-stride, all eyes of the other parents and students upon her.

"W-what just happened?" Ito stammered.

"Dad," Chikaru sighed. "Toumori... Shion? Toumori."

"Uh... How was I supposed to know she was related?" he gulped.

"Ito, that poor girl," Chikaru's mother said.

"But Ai-chan..."

"This is a school for the rich, famous and powerful," nodded Ai. "You could have known."

"I think I should go see if she's alright," Chikaru said.

**

* * *

**

Chikaru found Shion sitting on a treestump in the shade near a little-known patch of ground behind Lulim academy. The patch, also known as Sister Hitomi's herb-garden, was not something Sister Hitomi bragged about, mostly because the 'herbs' looked suspiciously like cannabis.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru whispered softly while Shion continued crying. Shion didn't shy away when Chikaru sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Chikaru-chan," she sniffed. "For yelling at your father and embarrassing you."

"It's okay, Shion-chan, really," Chikaru said.

"No, it's not," Shion replied and couldn't meet Chikaru's eyes. "I love my grandmother and I just couldn't stand by when I heard her being insulted. I'm just sorry that my outburst has cost me your friendship."

"S-shion-chan," Chikaru blinked. "No, don't say that. Don't ever say that. I'm still your friend."

Shion looked up at Chikaru now, bewilderment evident. "R-really?" she sniffed.

"Look," Chikaru smiled. "I'm the first to admit that dad can be very much in your face about things he's passionate about. In fact, he feels awful about making you sad, and he wants to apologize for calling your grandmother a dragon-lady. He's an honest man... bit too honest sometimes... give him a chance. Please."

"We're still friends?"

"Definitely!"

Shion nodded and the two girls hugged. It was a good feeling, a warm feeling. They were no stranger to hugs, but there was something different this time. While they still held each other, their eyes in advertently locked. Chikaru froze while Shion looked upon her with more than simple friendship in her eyes. Chikaru became stiff as a board when Shion's face hovered ever closer towards hers. Slowly, ever so slowly, Shion started to tilt her head sideways while parting her lips slightly.

While suppressing a tremble, Shion's lips were mere inches away from her own. The frightened Chikaru closed her eyes in anticipation of what was to come.

But after what appeared to be an eternity of expectations, she suddenly felt a rush of air as Shion moved upwards quickly and pressed her lips on Chikaru's forehead.

Both girls sat next to each other for a moment, red as beets and both bearing a solid 'what the hell just happened?'-expression on their face.

"Uhm, shall we go back to the picnic area?"

"Uhm, good idea."

"So, uh, I, uh..."

"Yeah, uhm..."

"Can I, uh..."

"That, uh..."

"Uh, that way?"

"Sure, uhm, I think so. Uh, was it?"

"Your nose is bleeding!"

"Uh, hanky?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

Next time: The gang hits the mean streets of Vienna. Romance is in the air. :)


	6. Chapter 6 : Vienna awaits!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the long delay, but a new chapter is ready for the public. The gang lands in Vienna for romantic holidays and fun. :) Hope you like it.

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapter 6 : Vienna awaits!

When Chikaru was invited to come along to Vienna with Shizuma, Miyuki and Shion, she had been utterly delighted. All had been given special dispensation to leave school grounds, on the provision that they would all write a report about their 'cultural experiences' in Vienna afterwards. A small price to pay.

So, immediately, Chikaru had started to prepare and pack for the trip. She was expecting a 12-hour trip on a commercial airliner. But what she got was a very unexpected flight with one of the Hanazono family's supersonic private jets.

Chikaru, as a girl of the people, was quite impressed and even slightly intimidated by this. The others, on the other hand, were more used to travel by private jet. Shizuma and her dad were animatedly chatting about this and that in the lounge seats while Miyuki was quietly reading a book about Irish folktales.

Shion was sitting opposite to her, diligently tapping away on her laptop. She looked up for a moment and noticed Chikaru staring out of the window.

"Sorry I'm not much company, Chikaru-chan," Shion said in an apologetic tone. "It's just that I promised the president-sama that I'd have the minutes of last weekend's meeting ready for her. Hopefully, I'll be done when the plane lands."

"It's okay," Chikaru smiled. Shion had certainly been putting a lot of time in her position as student council secretary, which was a good thing for her. Sadly, it had cut into their friendship time somewhat. Then again, Chikaru herself had become very active in club life now that she had time to spare.

Deciding to give Shion peace, she moved over to where Miyuki was sitting.

"Mind if I join you, Miyuki-sempai?" Chikaru asked quietly. Miyuki smiled, and gently put away her book.

"Of course, Chikaru-chan," said Miyuki. "Are you looking forward to Vienna?"

"Very much so," Chikaru said. "I just wasn't expecting..."

"This?" Miyuki nodded, pointing to their luxurious surroundings and the two stewardesses who catered to their every wishes.

"Yeah," Chikaru giggled nervously. "It's sort of... overwhelming."

Chikaru caught a look of Miyuki stiffening up when she saw Shizuma winking to one of the stewardesses. "It's a good thing this jet doesn't have a private bedroom, or I'd know where those two stewardesses would be right now," Miyuki said wryly, making Chikaru blush somewhat.

"Uhm, well, Shizuma-sempai and her dad are getting along great," she said, desperate for a change of subject. At that moment, Shizuma apparently told some sort of anecdote which made her father laugh.

"They weren't always this close," Miyuki said. "Hanazono-san was a much sterner man before Shizuma's mother died. He's changed since then, into a much kinder man. Still a workaholic, though."

"How do you know him?"

"Our families share a lot of business ventures, so we know each other socially," Miyuki said. "Ever since Hanazono-san's change, my family considers him to be rather frivolous, though. For one thing, Shizuma was arranged to be wed to my cousin from birth, but Hanazono-san broke it off. It set some bad blood with the more conservative members of my family... which is all them, really."

"Quite a story," Chikaru said. "I think it'd be awful to be promised to someone at birth."

Miyuki shifted uncomfortably. "It is... a duty, I suppose. But Hanazono-san would have nothing of it. I don't know the details, but some 10 years ago, he supposedly stormed into my father's office and said something along the lines of 'your sticky-fingered nephew is not putting his hands on my little girl!'," she closed her eyes and seemed to dream away.

"You wish your family was more like him, don't you?" Chikaru asked softly.

Miyuki bit her lip slightly, and Chikaru knew that she had hit a little too close to home for comfort. "I'm sorry," Chikaru started. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, Chikaru-chan," Miyuki said. "The situation is different. Hanazono-san and Shizuma only have each other. There's only a distant cousin in Kamakura they have semi-regular contact with, a boy who's had a tragic life... and some other distant relatives, but mostly it's just them. It's odd, really. I have a huge family, but nobody really cares about each other. What about you, Chikaru-chan?"

"Nuclear family, really. Mum, dad, two little brothers, a basset-hound and three cats," Chikaru said. "We don't have as much as you have, but we are happy."

Miyuki nodded. "Be happy, Chikaru. It's been my observation that the more you have, the less you have. If that makes sense."

"I... suppose it does," Chikaru smiled and glanced over at Shion, who seemed to be mulling over a sentence she had been typing. She peered intently at the screen and seemed to be mouthing the words of her sentence over and over again. Shion finally decided it was no good, rammed onto the backspace button a couple of times and started typing again.

**

* * *

**

The rest of the flight was rather uneventful, even though Chikaru felt sort of lonely now that Shion's attention had been fully aimed at her report.

When they finally landed, Chikaru felt a little embarrassed about having had a VIP treatment. Unlike the other Japanese passengers on commercial airlines, they had a very comfortable trip for only about 3 hours. They passed the tired passengers and could claim their bags immediately... or rather, there were people waiting for them to fetch their bags and put them in the back of the limousine that was waiting for them in front of the airport. Chikaru found the whole thing a little intimidating and felt a little left out. She looked to her friends, but Miyuki and Shizuma were too busy gaping at the buildings outside, while Shion was still glued to her laptop after having failed to finish her report in time and was proof-reading it before continuing.

It only got worse when they arrived at the hotel: or rather, the palace. The Grand Hotel Wien had a top floor suite which contained a massive living room with several luxurious bedrooms, a bathroom, sauna and even a private swimming pool... and it would be all theirs for the next two weeks.

To say that Chikaru was intimidated was the understatement of the year. She was surrounded by gold-plated statuettes, antique furniture and expensive vases... she was so afraid to break anything, she hardly dared to move. Miyuki, Shizuma and Shion, however, walked through the suite as if they were perfectly in their element. In fact, Shizuma had run ahead into one of the bedrooms for callsies, leaving a phalanx of teetering porcelain vases being her, often dangerously near the edge of their tables as Shizuma had bumped into them while running.

"Are you alright?" asked Hanazono-san, actually the first person to notice her distress. "You seem a little pale. Do you need to lie down?"

"Uh, no, no, I, uh," Chikaru stammered. "I'll be fine..."

"It's all a bit much, isn't it?" Hanazono-san smiled. "These rooms can be big enough to cause agoraphobia. Hm, why don't you share a room with your friend Shion-san?"

The tapping of keys in the background suddenly stopped.

"I mean," Hanazono-san continued. "It might help you adjust if there's someone you can talk to. Ah, damn, I just remembered: we only have rooms with double beds. If you like, I will ask the staff to replace the double bed with two single beds so that you won't have to sleep in the same bed."

"THAT won't be necessary!" Shion said as she leapt up from her laptop and took Chikaru by the arm. "Come, Chikaru-chan, let's pick out room. It'll be nice to room together," she called out with enthusiasm as she dragged Chikaru to the rooms, leaving a slightly puzzled Hanazono-san behind.

"Yeah," Chikaru blushed slightly. "It would."

"So gay, dad," Shizuma whispered after elbowing her dad softly.

**

* * *

**

After settling in and unpacking, it was getting late. Rather, it was too late to go exploring the city, and yet too early to go to bed. While Shizuma's father had to prepare for his conference, he had given the girls his blessing to hit the town for some healthy entertainment. Their target: the cinema across the street.

The moment they stepped out of the hotel, it hit them how different Vienna was from cities in Japan. They had a preview from the limousine, but standing there in the broad streets was something else. The baroque style buildings were all around them and the city was beautiful. Though Japan had its share of beauty, Chikaru knew that most cities in Japan had a majority of concrete buildings. Even though the Japanese valued esthetic beauty, a lot of offices and houses were considered nothing more than throw-away products and, thus, lacked outward looks. The buildings here, however, were designed and built to last for centuries and it showed.

"According to the guidebook..." Miyuki started to say.

"Which you have your nose into," Shizuma sighed. "Come on, look around you!"

"According to the guidebook," Miyuki said more forcefully. "That cinema has both german dubbed and english subbed showings. We need the English showings, obviously."

"Since Miyuki is the only one of us who understands German," Shizuma sighed. "You and your crazy moon-man languages, Miyuki."

"Sei ruhig, dumkopf," Miyuki replied. "Du redest blodsinn."

Shizuma blinked. "What did you just call me?"

Miyuki ignored her while the group made their way to the cinema, a classic building. Next to the entrance hung the list of films of the English showings but found the tally disappointing.

"Terminator 3, 2 fast 2 furious, Underworld," Miyuki crumpled her nose in distaste. "Not really an impressive line-up."

"The Last Samurai... with Tom Cruise as a samurai?" Shion shook her head. "Such an insult to the Japanese people."

"Tom Cruise is an insult to humanity," Shizuma giggled. "But I don't know about Underworld. That vampire girl in latex looks pretty hot."

"Looney Tunes: Back in action," Miyuki shook her head. "Time waster..."

"Lost in Translation's supposed to be pretty good," Shion suggested.

"Nah," Shizuma said. "We came to Europe to experience something new. We don't want to see a film about Tokyo!"

But as usual, it was Chikaru who had the answer. She pointed to a film which had been put down at the bottom of the chart, almost obscured by the frame of the billboard. "What about this one?" Chikaru asked. "I've been hearing so many good things about it."

She pointed to a title which read 'SAW'.

"I don't know," Miyuki said. "It doesn't seem to be culturally significant."

"And Terminator 3 does?" Shizuma snorted. "Come on, let's go see SAW."

Exactly 1 hour and 45 minutes later, the group exited the cinema. Both Chikaru and Shizuma were absolutely delighted at the film they had just seen, animatedly chatting to each other about the scenes which they found best. Trailing behind them and looking a little pale were Miyuki and Shion.

"God, that was beautiful!" Shizuma said. "I loved that scene where the guy sawed off his own leg, but they should have shown more. And Amanda with the reverse bear-trap!"

"Oh, and the guy with the candle! And the scene with the drills! Oh, and the ending! So good!" Chikaru raved.

"I agree," Shizuma said, while cheerfully humming the endscene music.

Miyuki scraped her throat. "I just want to say... you are both sick, sick people."

Shion seemed to take objection to Miyuki classifying Chikaru as 'sick', until she realized the tone of humor in Miyuki's voice and let it go. "It's getting late," she said. "I think we should go back to the hotel and get some sleep."

"Gleefully said the girl who's sleeping in bed with another girl," Shizuma muttered under her breath with a grin on her face.

"I agree," Chikaru said. "I'm feeling a bit tired as well."

Shizuma nodded. "Well, I for one, am still up for poking around town. I probably won't sleep if I turn in this early. Come on, Miyuki."

Miyuki crossed her arms. "And why should I come with you? Can't I be tired from the flight?"

"Nope," Shizuma said as she hooked an arm around Miyuki's waist. "We are going to hit the town."

Despite Miyuki's protest, and after seeing Chikaru and Shion off safely to the hotel, Shizuma literally pulled Miyuki through the streets of Vienna as night was falling rapidly. They passed several bars, some nightclubs and late-night shops along the way, but none were interesting enough to enter.

Finally, they arrived at a seedy looking area which contained several casinos, as well as places which seemed to be rather disreputable. Though Miyuki's first and strong instinct was to turn 180 degrees around and head back to the hotel, Shizuma looked very much intrigued. Especially when she saw one building tucked away between two casinos.

Aside from the obtrusively red lights some of the seedier bars in the area sported, the building also had a neon sign which read 'GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS'.

"That is so the place for me," Shizuma said. "It doesn't say girls once, not twice, but THREE times!"

"I don't know, Shizuma," Miyuki bit her lip. "That place looks rather unwholesome. Not a place for proper young ladies such as us."

"Oh, come on, let's just go look. It shouldn't hurt."

They approached a rather burly gentleman at the front door of the club who regarded them suspiciously. "Two please," Shizuma announced cheerfully in completely Japanese accent-free English.

The burly gentleman looked her over once and shook his head. "Underage. No entry," he said with a thick german accent.

Shizuma blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"No entry, go away," the bouncer replied.

"Okay, let's go," Miyuki said, relieved.

Shizuma huffed as a couple passed her and entered the club. She narrowed her eyes, fished a phone from her pocket and dialled. After some exchanges in Japanese, she flipped close her phone.

"Can we leave now?" Miyuki said as she noticed a couple of young men were giving both of them leery looks.

"Wait for it," Shizuma replied. And just as one of the seemingly drunk young men was working up his courage to walk up to the two girls, the phone rang. Shizuma took it and, after a bit, handed it to the puzzled bouncer. "It's for you," Shizuma said cheerfully.

The bouncer took the phone and his eyebrows shot into his hairline when the conversation ended. He handed the phone back to Shizuma and stammered a little. "Well, uh, I suppose there's no problem if the club's new owner gets let in."

Miyuki slapped her hand in front of her eyes and shook her head.

"I love being rich!" Shizuma cheered.

"Shizuma, I am NOT going in there!" Miyuki stressed.

"Okay," Shizuma said, pointing at the three drunk looking teens. "You can stay here outside with the boys."

Miyuki blinked, looked at the boys, then at the club. "Since you put it that way..." she said and followed the 'owner' inside

Much to Miyuki's dismay, the inside of the club was just as seedy as the outside.

**

* * *

**

Back in the hotel, Chikaru had just changed into her nightshift, removed the ribbons from her hair and ran a brush through it. Satisfied that her hair was loose and free of tangled, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes for a moment. The mattress and the sheets were even softer than those at the Strawberry Dorms. All the light in the spacious bedroom had been turned off, save for a single light at the desk where Shion was sitting behind her laptop. Chikaru watched her friend being glued to her screen until...

"DONE!" Shion shouted triumphantly, attached the document of her report to an email and pressed the send button. "Finally, it took me more time than expected but... wow, I suddenly feel so tired."

"Come to bed, Shion-chan," Chikaru yawned. But for Shion, those words hit her like a brick to the head.

She twitted slightly. "To... bed?" Shion gulped as she folded her screen down.

"Yeah?" Chikaru asked quizically. "You must be tired from all that typing."

"I am, uh, just a minute," Shion said and ran into the bathroom. Chikaru frowned when she heard a rustle of clothes, a very speedy toothbrushing session and a very fast hairwashing and blowdrying. Shion emerged from the bathroom wearing her nighty wrong-side forward and with her hair still mostly wet and ribboned.

She jumped into bed and just lay there, stiff as a board and very near to the edge. Her gaze was firmly on the skylight above them, focused on the stars in the night sky.

"Shion-chan?" Chikaru asked. "Don't lie there, you'll fall out."

"I'm okay..." Shion whispered with a tiny voice.

Chikaru was so tired from the events of the day that she didn't have much energy to argue, even though Shion's wide-eyed stare directly at the ceiling was a little worrying. It didn't take Chikaru long to sink into dreamland, especially in a bed that soft.

As usual, the night passed Chikaru by peacefully. As she nearing the state between slumber and awakening, Chikaru was still reliving snippets of her dreams. She felt safer and more loved than ever before as bliss had settled over her... she blinked her eyes open as the sun shone on her face.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed something soft and warm was very close to her. It took her a few moments to realize that two arms were wrapped around her waist. Then it took her another few moments to realize the body belonging to those arms was pressing against her back.

Her first instinct was to panic and run out of bed, but... it felt so nice. Very nice in fact. Shion was obviously still sleeping, often murmuring softly.

Chikaru closed her eyes again. This was very nice indeed. She had often fantasized what it would be like to share a bed with somebody and this was better than anything she could imagine.

"Chikaru-chan," Shion whispered in her sleep and started to rub Chikaru's tummy with one hand, sending shudders throughout Chikaru's body.

Carefully, very carefully, Chikaru started to roll around until she was facing the sleeping Shion. A shiver went through her when she treated the sleeping girl to an embrace of her own. It seemed logical to her, as Shion had initiated the hug, she shouldn't mind a return of such a gesture.

Chikaru almost reached a state of sensory overload as she was overwhelmed by the sheer sensations of their closeness. The softness of Shion's skin, her warm breath as she slept, the smell of her hair, Shion's hand gently rubbing her back. Chikaru never wanted this moment to end.

But the end came as Shion's eyes slowly fluttered open and blinked as she too adjusted to the sunlight pouring in through the skylight.

"Hi," Chikaru said softly while blushing over having been caught in such a compromising position.

Shion smiled blissfully and gently reached out to rub Chikaru's chin. Finding the sensation rather tactile, her eyes grew wide. "T-this is a dream. Right? A dream? I'm still sleeping, am I?" she asked rather nervously.

"Uh, nope," Chikaru smiled sweetly while wiping a lock of blonde hair from Shion's eyes.

"Eeeep!" Shion let out a yelp and rushed from the hug and the bed, so fast that she hit her head against the headboard. Rubbing her scalp, she ran into the bathroom as fast as her legs could carry her and locked the door behind her, leaving Chikaru to wonder what was going on.

At first, she felt a little pang of rejection, but soon she reasoned that Shion had probably been startled to no end. She had suspected for some time that Shion had feelings for her that went beyond friendship, but she was barely coming to terms with that herself.

Yes, Chikaru's soul-searching and research had led her towards settling the questioning of her own sexuality. But slowly, one question had begun to be replaced by another.

"Am I in love with my best friend?" Chikaru whispered to herself.

**

* * *

**

Miyuki, having just woken up, was still tired. Tired beyond belief, actually. After greeting Chikaru at the breakfast table on a second floor loft overlooking the living room below, she poured herself a glass of orange juice which roomservice had provided.

Yesterday evening had been trying ever since they had entered that club. Though Shizuma had tremendous fun putting banknotes in the sides of g-strings left and right, having a few light drinks and watching the main show of some tattooed topless poledancer named Jenna, Miyuki had spent the time wholesomely by picking the places she wanted to visit in the travelguide which she had brought along and blissfully ignoring her surroundings.

The pervasive red light in the room finally got to her and she had decided to go into the bathroom to powder her nose. Unfortunately, the bathroom was bathed in pervasive blue light. Still, it had been a change of scenery.

When she went back into the main room, Shizuma was nowhere to be found. After dodging some of the male clientele who thought she was a new addition to the show, Miyuki finally saw a giggly Shizuma emerge from what seemed to be a private room with that girl Jenna. Shizuma immediately grabbed Miyuki by the arm, grinned like a chesire cat and pushed her into the private room for something called a 'lapdance'.

Not that Miyuki would ever admit it to Shizuma, but she had found the experience to be unnervingly exciting. Thankfully, Jenna was pretty nice and even helped Miyuki stem the flow of blood coming from her nose before leaving the private booth.

Finally, Shizuma's short attention span had led them out of the club. Unfortunately, Shizuma was not ready to go to sleep yet. Instead, Shizuma wanted to go out dancing. It didn't take long for Shizuma to find a charming discotheque near their hotel. And there...

"Trust Shizuma to stumble across a club of Swedish teenage lesbians on a back-packing tour through Europe," Miyuki whispered to herself.

"Miyuki-sempai," Chikaru looked up from her book. "Can I help?"

"No, sorry," Miyuki said. "Just talking to myself."

Still, the girls were nice. Nicer and smarter than the usual batch of airheads Shizuma hanged out with at the Hill. The girls, five in total, we genuinely interested in what Miyuki had to say, which was a wonderful thing in itself. Miyuki had a wonderful conversation about history and art of Vienna with a Gudrun, a green-eyed curly raven-haired girl and her friend Agneta.

Meanwhile, Shizuma enjoyed the attention she was getting from a blonde girl named Hildegard and a red-head named Teresia. As usual, Shizuma flirted and bragged to no end, and it didn't take long for her and Teresia to be liplocked on the dancefloor. Casual sex hung thick in the air.

And Miyuki wasn't wrong. After exchanging phone-numbers and promising the other girls to meet them in soonish to go explore Schloss Schonbrunn together, Teresia broke off from her group to come home with Shizuma for the remainder of the night.

Miyuki looked up at the door leading into Shizuma's room. They were still in there, probably sleeping in each other's arms. A pang of pain and sorrow shot through her being for a moment. '_Shizuma_,' she mused. '_Why a complete stranger? Why not someone who's always been there for you?_'

But she already knew the answer: she'd always been the best friend and never anything more. And she wondered, like she often did, why she still tried.

A shock went through her body when the door opened. Indeed, out came Teresia and Shizuma, both dressed but still with slightly wet hair, indicating that they had also showered together. Miyuki narrowed her eyes as a touchy-feely session followed, culminating in an embrace and an open-lip kiss. Teresia and Shizuma said their goodbyes and, after a last caress from Shizuma starting at Teresia's cheeks and ending at her hip, Teresia left the room.

**

* * *

**

Shizuma smiled to herself as she sauntered to the breakfast table, blissfully unaware of Miyuki's piercing glare. "Morning everyone," she said cheerfully.

"Morning," Miyuki said with a dangerous edge in her voice.

"Morning, Shizuma-san," Chikaru said.

"Hm, where's Shion-chan?" Shizuma asked.

"In the bathroom," Chikaru said softly. "I'm not sure when she's going to come out."

"Something she ate?" Shizuma scratched her head. "I thought that wiener schnitzel she had for dinner last evening looked a little dodgy."

"I think she'll be fine in a little bit," Chikaru said. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"Schonbrunn," Miyuki said. "We start off our tour in style!"

And Schonbrunn it was. As soon as both Shion and Hanazono-san had been ready, the group left the hotel. They had decided to rough it, as it were, and left the limousine behind for public transportation, certainly a new and exciting experience for the Hanazono's as both struggled with the plastic loops in between seats to keep themselves upright.

Schonbrunn palace awaited and looked as much as a fairy-tale castle as could be. An impressive alabaster building which had served as the seat of power for the Habsburg family for centuries, and which was surrounded by a massive park, containing a zoo, several botanical gardens, a palm house and a sculpture exhibit. There would certainly be enough for them to do today and they'd probably need to come back another day to see it all.

Despite the sheer number of tourists around, Miyuki felt very much at ease. She was surrounded by history and culture, and that was something she always appreciated. The line in front of the teller was long, and they passed a stand with several free guide-leaflets.

"Oh, there's even a Japanese one," Shion said as she handed one on Chikaru, while avoided her gaze. Whatever happened Shion was still a bit skittish, Miyuki mused.

Miyuki took a german one and some of languages she did not know. Miyuki had always had interest in languages, and found learning them to be very easy for her.

"I'll take the French and English ones," Shizuma winked. Miyuki shook her head: sure, Shizuma was very intelligent, but if only she would direct a little more effort towards using that intelligence...

"I'll just settle for the Japanese one," Hanazono-san said. "I just don't know how these people can cope with this weird alphabet letter system. You see an 'a', but you can pronounce it in five different ways... At least we don't have that."

"I'm really looking forward to spending the day with my dad," Shizuma smiled at Miyuki. "It's been so long since we've had a father-daughter day. Let alone a father-daughter week."

"Are you sure Teresia doesn't require your attention?" Miyuki asked.

"Nah," Shizuma said. "I mean, she's a nice girl and all, but it's time to move on."

It didn't take them long to run into the Swedish teens. They had agreed to meet today, after all. The Swedes were mostly bubbly and cheerful, but she was very happy to see Gudrun again. Unlike her friends, Gudrun was calm, somewhat withdrawn and not easily impressed. Not to mention the only one with interest in the fine arts.

The group stayed together on their tour through the palace. They were led past rooms which had actually been used by the royal family. All rooms were richly adorned with arts of many centuries, which was no surprise: the Habsburgs were comprised of many different cultures due to inter-marriage and had been avid art collectors.

It was nice to see that Shizuma had been true to her word and focuses her attention completely on her father. The two of them walked ahead of the group and often stood still at an interesting painting or piece of furniture. They often whispered and snickered to each other over something or other. Miyuki felt rather happy to see them like this... and she was also happy to see that Teresia was miffed that Shizuma didn't pay her any attention at all.

'_Welcome to my world, bitch_,' Miyuki let just a hint of a smirk tug at the corners of her mouth.

"Miyuki, have you seen this?" Gudrun called over to point out an early renaissance painting which hung in the royal bedroom. "Amazing, isn't it? Such a collection of priceless art."

"I agree," Miyuki said. "Vienna is such center of good art."

"True," Gudrun sighed. "There's so many good museum in this city and I want to see them all. There's the big collection of Gustav Klimt's work at the Leopold Museum, and let's not even talk about the Historical Museum of Fine Arts. Sadly, my friends are more interested in going to the zoo, nightclubs and the Luna park."

"Same here," Miyuki nodded. "I respect my friends deeply, but I would rather see art than to wolf down candy, wave at monkeys and being trashed riding bumper carts."

"I've got an idea," Gudrun said. "Why don't the two of us go visit the museums when we can? We could see where our friends are going and find moments to spirit ourselves away for some quiet museum time."

Miyuki felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks as Gudrun's green eyes looked at her expectantly. "I'd like that."

**

* * *

**

"Wow," Chikaru said as they entered a large ballroom. "Imagine living here. We'd be like princesses."

Shion bit her lip. "Well, uh, to be honest, I was expecting this palace to be bigger."

Chikaru blinked. "Bigger? But... this palace is huge!"

"Actually, most of the rooms we've been to, well... like the ball-room, or the bedrooms... It's all bigger at the Toumori estate. Oh, don't get me wrong, this palace has more land surrounding it, but generally, the Toumori estate is bigger."

"Wow," Chikaru said as she sat on a small bench while Shion plopped down besides her.

Shion shook her head. "It's big, but it's... well... how to put it? Let's just say that my tiny room at the Dorms feels more like a home than my old room at the Toumori estate ever felt. There is such a thing as too big."

Chikaru saw it in Shion's eyes the moment the words had left her mouth: they just showed how lonely Shion had been while growing up. Shion was an only child of perpetually busy parents and her only contacts had been with family, tutors and servants in her childhood years. But then she had a great idea.

"Hey, the group's pretty much fallen apart by now. How about we get out of this palace and go find the zoo? There's supposed to be panda's there!" she took her phone from her pocket. "I'll send Shizuma-chan an email that we're going there."

Shion thought for a moment. "Sounds like a plan. Lucky I brought my camera."

**

* * *

**

"Hey, they went to the zoo," Shizuma said as she typed a brief return message with her thumb before pocketing her phone.

"This is nice," Shizuma said to her father as the two of them strolled through the lush gardens surrounding Schonbrunn castle. "Look at those colorful flowerbeds. This is art, dad. Pure art."

"You always did like gardening," Hanazono-san said, seemingly dreaming away. "You got your green thumb from your mother. She loved all things that grow. I bet she could have raised a flower bed on salted earth."

At that moment, Hanazono-san's cellphone rang. Shizuma stopped dead in her tracks and offered her father a dirty look. "No work for two weeks, remember? Hand it over!"

"Uh, sorry," he said and handed the phone to Shizuma. "I thought I turned it off."

Shizuma flipped the phone open and answered it. "Dad will get back to you in two weeks," she said before the person on the other end of the line could say anything, hung up and removed the battery from the phone. She pocketed the battery in her left pocket and the phone in her right.

"Sorry," Hanazono-san shrugged and hooked his arm through his daughter's. "What were we talking about? Oh, yeah, your green thumb."

"I volunteered to help out at the Etoile's green-house," Shizuma said. "That's how I started my affair with Tsukiumi-chan, actually."

Hanazono-san looked at her daughter. Shizuma had always been candid about her sexuality and her many relations with girls. He'd been more than accepting of it, but there was one thing he was concerned about.

"How many Swedes have you slept with already?" Hanazono-san asked carefully.

"Just one," Shizuma said. "But I suppose I might end up sleeping with one or more of the others. Hildegard has been giving me winks."

"Zuma-chan," he said while the two of them passed a fountain surrounded by several topiaries. "I know you're young still but... have you ever thought about settling down? You know, finding a girl to have a steady relationship with."

"Well," Shizuma thought it over. "I don't rule it out, but she'd have to be a very special girl. I mean, I've been loved by plenty of girls, and even though I really like some of them, I haven't really felt that spark yet. That something which tells me a girl is really the one for me. So I guess I'll just have to keep trying until I find her."

"I hope you do, Zuma-chan," Hanazono-san smiled. "You deserve to have someone whom you love."

"And what about you, dad?" Shizuma chuckled. "Are you ever planning to go on a date again?"

"Nah," Hanazono-san shook his head. "There'll never be anyone like your mother ever again. Nobody can replace her, and it wouldn't be fair to another woman to live in her shadow."

"Sorry, dad," Shizuma nodded. "I didn't mean..."

"I know, Zuma-chan. I know," he nodded. "You're the only girl in my life now. God help me."

Shizuma giggled as the two of them continued to enjoy the rest of the day.

* * *

Next: more romance, love and kisses in Vienna.


	7. Chapter 7 : Kissy kiss kiss

Woof, has it really been that long since my last update of Opposites? Ouch, painful. Hopefully the chapter after this one won't take months. Hopefully this chapter'll put a smile on your face, though.:)

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapters 7 - Kissy kiss kiss

Amidst the rhythmic applause of Shizuma and the Swedish girls, Chikaru stood on a small pedestal in their huge hotel room, holding a microphone. Right next to her stood a karaoke-machine meticulously playing the tune of several famous songs from the 80's.

"_We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind, cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance, well they're no friends of mine_…" Chikaru sang cheerfully while dancing to the music.

Shizuma's father and Shion sat at the back of the room. While Shizuma's father was mostly focused on his newspaper, Shion observed carefully.

Chikaru was giving her performance of Men Without Hats' song 'Safety Dance' her all. While watching Chikaru perform, Shion reflected on their stay in Austria. It had been a wonderful trip, with visits to opera's, museums and just goofing around having fun. Highlights involved Shizuma getting thrown out of Castle Schonbrunn for plopping down on Princess Sissi's bed, following by her father's less-than-bluff threats about buying the castle and then having it blown up with high-yield explosives for this insult to his daughter. Shizuma had taken it in stride, though, and managed to calm her father down.

Miyuki had been seen less and less in their group of hotel-room, instead seeking privacy with Gudrun. In the meantime, Shizuma had slyly worked her way through the rest of the Swedish girls, one by one. Shion guessed she had bedded just about everyone except Gudrun by now.

But then there were all the times she had spent alone with Chikaru. Vienna was one of the most romantic cities in the world, and Shion had promised herself she would confess to Chikaru how she truly felt about her. Unfortunately, whenever she had found the perfect moment to confess, something happened.

When they had gone to the zoo, she and Chikaru sat on a bench for a break. It was a private and green sitting area, with no one in sight. Just as she had gathered up her courage and was about to confess her love, an escaped lemur had jumped on top her head and had started pulling her hair. A horrible screaming run and a visit to the hospital for a tetanus shot later, the moment had more than passed.

_Stupid lemur._

Then there was that fancy restaurant Shizuma's dad had recommended. Expensive and delicious food, a private dining table for the both of them, and a personal violin player. Perfect. Unfortunately, at the moment supreme, Shizuma had burst in, in a more than tipsy state, and giggly stated how cute the both of them were. Harmless, but moodkilling.

_Stupid Shizuma._

Then there was the beautiful walkway in front of opera-house, a perfect moment ruined by a horrible mime, whom had started following them around and pretended to be stuck in a glass house.

_Goddamn mine._

Shion sighed. There were only two days left. Two days. If those two had passed, there'd be no more chance. She'd never have the courage to confess back on Astraea Hill. If Shion wouldn't be able to tell Chikaru she was in love with her, within those two days, she never would… she'd end up an old lonely spinster with dozens of cats who'd constantly yell at the kids on her lawn.

The song ended and Chikaru jumped off the stage amidst praise in the form of cheers and yelps. While Shizuma took the stage for a rendition of Annie Lennox' Looking for an Angel, Shion stood up from her seat and joined a thoroughly exhausted Chikaru.

"That was wonderful, Chikaru-chan," Shion smiled.

"Thank you," Chikaru smiled cheerfully. "Why don't you give it a try? I think you'd do great on the Final Countdown."

"Uh, no, no, no," Shion said quickly. "Singing is not for me, really."

Chikaru turned to watch Shizuma again, and Shion could not ignore a touch of jealousy. "Chikaru-chan? You've, uhm, been spending a lot of time with Shizuma-san lately, haven't you?"

Chikaru turned back to Shion with that eternal smile of hers. "Yes, I have. She needs it, really."

"She… needs it?"

"Haven't you noticed?"

"What should I notice?"

"How unhappy she is," Chikaru replied with an edge of sadness in her voice.

Shion blinked. This was… a preposterous thought. "H-how do you figure that? She's got everything! She's rich, she's brilliant, she can get any girl she wants, she is the most popular student in the school! Girls worship the ground she walks on."

Chikaru seemed thoughtful for a moment. "It is true many girls worship Shizuma-sama, but just how many real friends does Shizuma-sama have? Miyuki-sempai, myself, you… but that's it, really. As for her girlfriends, I'm pretty sure she's never loved any of them, and she herself believes she will never fall in love. Her father loves her, but he's a workaholic and doesn't have as much time for her as he wants. And her schoolwork gives her no pride because she just breezes through it."

"Really?" Shion blinked. "I never really thought of it that way."

"Look into her eyes, Shion-chan," Chikaru whispered softly. "Then you'll see it. Shizuma-sama is the loneliest person I've ever met. I feel so sad for her."

"She seems happy enough."

"Shizuma-sama is not someone who cries easily," Chikaru nodded sagely.

Shion looked at Chikaru, then at Shizuma. Shizuma ended the song with a cheer and jumped into her audience, ending up lip-locked with one of the girls. Some things never changed.

Shizuma broke the kiss and rubbed Agneta's cheek for good measure. There's nothing Shizuma enjoyed more than a pretty girl, after all. The clock in the room read three in the morning. Though it was very late, nobody seemed to be tired. It was vacation-time, after all. In fact, the only one who seemed rather tired was Shizuma's father. He excused himself, put down his paper and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

At that moment, the door to the hotel-suite opened. In stepped Miyuki. Shizuma regarded her for a moment. She was wearing her good gown, covered by a warm coat. Oddly enough, Gudrun was nowhere to be seen, but she suspected the tall Swedish brunette had escorted her .

Gudrun and Miyuki had been spending a lot of time together as of late, seeking many private moments. The few times Miyuki had been with them, she had been speaking of nothing else than her times and conversations with Gudrun.

Immediately, Shizuma noticed things different about her life-long friend. First of all, she was wearing much more make-up that she usually did, including blood-red lipstick… which was smudged. Secondly, she was wearing some of her best jewels… and Miyuki never wore any jewels at all. Thirdly, to say she was beaming was an understatement… she was more radiant than Godzilla's radioactive breath. There was a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

"Oh… my… god!" Shizuma squealed, startling Miyuki. "Miyuki, you… you…"

"What?" Miyuki asked.

"YOU GOT LAID!"

All the blood in Miyuki's body shot up to her face. "Shizuma! Don't…"

"HEY EVERYBODY! MIYUKI GOT LAID!"

A mortified Miyuki was met with cheers and catcalls from the gathered girls, along with startled Chikaru and Shion.

"Shizuma!" Miyuki hissed.

At that moment, Hanazono-san came from the bathroom still brushing his teeth. "Who got laid?" he asked after spitting the toothpaste in a cup.

"MIYUKI!" Shizuma replied enthusiastically.

"Oh," Hanazono-san smiled. "Well done, Miyuki-chan."

Being embarrassed in front of Hanazono-san became too much for Miyuki. The blue-haired girl grabbed Shizuma by the arm and yanked her into her private chambers. As soon as she had let go of Shizuma and turned to confront her. "Why did you do that, Shizuma?"

Shizuma shrugged. "I'm just happy for you, okay? Sheesh. And it's about time too. Gudrun is a nice and sophisticated girl, perfect for you."

"It was an intensely private and special moment for me!" Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "Damn you for proclaiming it to everyone in the room!"

Shizuma sighed and nodded. "You're right," she admitted. "I was out of line, I'm sorry. I'm woman enough to admit that."

Miyuki nodded once in thanks.

"Seriously, though," Shizuma smirked. "Did you enjoy it?"

"It was one of the most wonderful moments of my life," Miyuki smiled genuinely now as she sat down on the bed. "I mean, Gudrun. She's… wonderful. In every sense of the word. When I lay in her arms tonight, I left completely loved and desired. I was so scared, but she made me feel comfortable and at ease."

"That's wonderful, isn't it?" Shizuma said as she sat down next to her friend on the bed. "I mean, it was about time you found yourself a nice girl. This could be the start of an epic romance!"

Miyuki's expression suddenly hardened considerably. "Oh, I know exactly what's going to happen. We'll write. Often and passionate at first. Expressing all our feelings and our hopes and dreams. Then the letters will start coming less often. Less and less until they stop coming at all. And our 'epic romance' will exist only in our memories."

"Geez," Shizuma replied softly. "You're depressing me now."

"I'm engaged to be married, Shizuma. And I don't have the luxury of a family which allows me to be as wild and care-free as you. I'm sure my future husband will take issue with Gudrun. And, to be honest, it's not fair towards her either. For all your blusters and calls from you towards rebelling against my family, it's something that's just not possible. And I don't want either me or Gudrun living that pipe-dream, Shizuma."

"Miyuki," Shizuma whispered. She tried to offer a supportive shoulder. Miyuki recoiled from her however.

Eyes brimming with yet unshed tears, Miyuki turned to Shizuma. "If you don't mind," she stammered. "I'd like to be alone for a while."

As Shizuma left Miyuki's room, she shrugged off the bad feelings. She'd knock some sense into Miyuki yet, and Miyuki discovering the wonders of Sapphic love was an important first step. But Miyuki wouldn't be Miyuki if she wouldn't be a tough nut to crack.

Shizuma, as usual, decided not to dwell on things. After all, despite the fact that it was after three, she wasn't quite tired yet. And she still had to decide which girl she would invite to her bed tonight. She had already put the moves on Agneta, but the tiny blonde Ilsa had been quite an adventure two nights ago. Perhaps, if she played her cards right, she could have both girls tonight.

Or perhaps something more… random. She gazed at an empty champagne bottle standing on the table near a bucket of ice. The precious liquid had been downed by herself and several of the other girls earlier this evening and the bottle simply stood there.

An idea started to form.

**

* * *

**

About twenty minutes later, a giggly group of girls were seated in a circle on the floor with the bottle lying in the middle. Shizuma's idea to hold a Spin-the-Bottle contest had been greeted enthusiastically and she had even been able to convince Shion and Chikaru to take part.

The door to the large closet opened and out came Ilsa and Agneta, bearing smudged lipstick and blushing slightly. Seeing there were two of these closets, there was plenty of room for the random couples to withdraw for their reward.

"I hope you enjoyed your 10 minutes of heaven," Shizuma grinned. "Time for another couple to claim the closet."

"This is silly," Shion protested, but kept her gaze downcast.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want," Shizuma said. "You can go into the closet and read from the dictionary if you like. But if the bottle points at you, to the closet you will go."

Shion grumbled slightly while Chikaru looked on with interest. Chikaru had heard of this game before and knew it was quite popular with American teenagers.

"And around she goes!" Shizuma reached over to the bottle and gave it a spin. "Where she stops, nobody knows."

The girls looked on with baited breath as the bottle slowly stopped spinning. Slower and slower until it the bottle's neck pointed straight at Chikaru.

"Huh?" Chikaru started while Shion narrowed her eyes at all the other girls around her.

"Lucky Chikaru-chan!" Shizuma winked. "Now, let's see which other lucky girl gets to take you to the closet.

The bottle mercilessly spun around and started slow. All eyes were fixed on the bottle. Chikaru gulped nervously while the other girls bit their lips to see who it would land on.

There were gasps, there were blinks, there was grin… on Shizuma's face the moment the bottle pointed at her.

"Oh my," Shizuma winked. "Well, well, well, I suppose there's a first time for everything, no?"

A flabbergasted Chikaru was suddenly pulled off the ground and gently nudged towards the closet. Before she knew what was happening, Chikaru found herself in the moderately large closet. There were several coats hanging from the rack, shoved aside by the previous occupants of the closet. Chikaru was lain back on a stack of soft bags after Shizuma had closed the door. The elder girl hovered above Chikaru with a cheeky grin on her face. There was nowhere for the tiny Lulim student to escape to.

"This really is your first kiss, isn't it?" Shizuma spoke with kindness in her voice. Chikaru nodded slightly, avoiding her gaze.

"Don't worry," Shizuma smiled. "I'll be gentle."

Chikaru trembled as Shizuma leaned in to capture her lips. Closer and closer, until her face was mere inches away from hers.

"NO!" Chikaru closed her eyes and cramped up. She turned her head to one side so that Shizuma couldn't kiss her.

When she opened her eyes again, she found Shizuma sitting with her back against the wall, gazing at her with a knowing look. "You don't want *me* to be the first one to kiss you, am I right? There's someone else you have in mind."

Chikura blushed and nodded slightly.

"Idea!" Shizuma grinned wickedly.

**

* * *

**

Shion watched incredulously as Chikaru was dragged into the closet. She wanted to scream, shout and curse, but was too stunned to do much of anything.

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't fair.

Anger welled up inside her and Shion balled her fists while she fought back tears. This was Hanazono Shizuma. She could get any girl she wanted. So why did she want Chikaru? Chikaru, the girl she had been trying to confess her love to for the past two weeks. A beloved friend whom she desperately wanted to be more than a friend.

Why her? Why Chikaru?

"Chikaru-chan is mine," Shion whispered through gritted teeth. "She is _mine_!"

How dare Shizuma-sempai treat a friend like this? If she had eyes in her skull, she would have seen that she was in love with Chikaru and still she took her to the closet. 'Shizuma is the loneliest person I've ever known,' those words sounded in her head again. Well, that was still no excuse for Shizuma to steal Chikaru from her!

Shion made up her mind then and there.

She was going to storm into the closet, give Shizuma-sama a piece of her mind and then confess her love to Chikaru right then and there. Oh, yes, she would!

The Swedish girls around her looked on in surprise as Shion got up and stomped towards the closet with grim determination on her face. She was so going to give Shizuma a piece of her mind.

Just as she was about to enter the closet, the door flew open. A startled Shion was grabbed by two arms and was spun around. Shizuma grinned at her before pushing her into the closet.

The next thing Shion knew was that she was lying on something very soft while the door was being closed behind her, accompanied by the tell-take 'snick' of a lock.

"Enjoy!" sounded the cheerful voice of Shizuma.

Shion was still trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened, when she found two hands gently touching her arms. It then dawned on to her that she was lying on top of Chikaru.

"Uhm, hi," Chikaru blushed heavily at the compromising position, in turn also making Shion blush. Yet neither girl made any move to break the contact.

"Hi too," Shion gulped. An awkward silence followed.

'Okay, Shion, this is it. This is when you tell her. This is your big chance. If you won't tell her now, you never will…' she thought.

Shion's breath caught in her throat. The wording would have to be perfect. And yet there was doubt. Chikaru was her best friend, the only real friend she had ever had. And if she would reject her, it would forever change what they once had. It had been the biggest barrier she had faced.

"I…" she started to say, but her words caught in her throat.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru whispered. "I, uhm, I really like you." Chikaru couldn't meet Shion's eyes for a moment and looked away. "I mean… I think… I'm pretty sure… I might be… kinda in love with you."

It was as if Shion had been hit in the head with a mallet. A torrent of emotions shot through her mind all at once, but what mostly remained was overwhelming joy. She felt like she was the biggest fool in the world. Here she was, afraid she'd spoil her friendship for being in love with her, struggling with finding the perfect moment to confess, and now the plucky Lulim-student had beaten her to the punch. She could do only one thing – giggle.

Unfortunately, the look of hurt on Chikaru's face stifled her laughter. "Oh, no, no, no," she said quickly. "It's just that… for so long I've been trying to think of ways to tell you and now… Chikaru-chan, I… I think you're the most wonderful girl I met. I've… I've fallen in love with you."

Now it was Chikaru's turn to smile broadly. "So," she smiled. "Where do we go from here?"

"I, uh, I don't know," said Shion. "I haven't thought that far ahead, actually."

"Well," Chikaru blushed profusely. "I, uh, suppose we're in the closet. Should we, uhm, kiss?"

Shion's heart skipped a beat again. "I think we should kiss."

"Definitely, we should kiss," Chikaru replied resolutely.

"I agree, we *must* kiss."

Silence.

"So, how do we go about this then?"

"I dunno. I looks so easy in the movies."

"Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

"No. Have you?"

"No."

Silence followed.

"I, uh, have been practicing on my arm for the past couple of weeks," Shion stammered. "God that sounded so lame."

Chikaru giggled. "No worries. I've been practicing on my teddy-bear. I don't know what's worse."

"Should we just..."

"Uhm, okay..."

No more words were needed. Chikaru and Shion slowly but surely craned their necks into the right position. Closer and closer their faces hovered towards each other. Their lips almost touched, both girls closed their eyes and waited for heaven… until suddenly their noses collided.

"Ouch!"

"Owie!"

The girls rubbed their noses for a moment. "Try again?" Chikaru asked.

Once again, the girls tried for another kiss. Again they slowly craned their necks towards each other. But this time, right before the kiss, Shion suddenly coughed.

"Sorry," Shion said. "Forgot to breathe."

Chikaru giggled. And they tried again. And this time, they were successful. Their lips pressed together, a slow, loving brush. Even though it was just a minor touch, Shion was already in heaven. She was kissing the girl she had fallen in love with and, even better, Chikaru was kissing her back.

Shion felt her heart pound in her chest and judging from the quickening of Chikaru's breath, her girlfriend was also aroused. Shion let that thought roll through her mind while their lips kept touched – her girlfriend. _HER_ girlfriend.

Shion felt Chikaru's arms wrap around her, a movement which Shion mimicked. It was awkward at first, as they had to find the best way to hold each other without impeding each other. It was Chikaru who made the next move, however. Shion felt the other girl's tongue pressing against her lips, and while her breath caught in her throat, she allowed it to part her lips. Chikaru's tongue tentatively entered her mouth and when their tongues touched for the first time, nirvana was reached.

And yet, it kept getting better. Chikaru's tongue gently flicked around hers, giving way to incredible sensations. Shion swooned in Chikaru's arms. Suddenly, Chikaru pulled her tongue out of Shion's mouth and she immediately felt as if she had taken her soul with her.

"Chikaru-chan?" Shion asked softly, her voice filled with doubt. "W-wasn't I… good?"

"Incredible," Chikaru whispered with a smile. "I just forgot to breathe too."

"I… I want to kiss you again."

Shion needn't haven asked a second time.

**

* * *

**

In a mood of total self-satisfaction, Shizuma watched Chikaru and Shion from the door to her room on other side of the lounge. Chikaru and Shion were holding each other, talking about things she couldn't hear, but something had definitely changed between the two of them. And for the better. Between chats, the couple was sharing kisses, ranging from brushes to full-on open lip.

And that was how they had found them when they opened the door to the closet after their ten minutes were up. The girls were holding each other in a state of such passionate lip-lock that one of the Ageta jokingly commented that they should throw a bucket of water over them.

It couldn't have gone any better even if Shizuma had planned it. It had taken her over a year, but finally Shion and Chikaru had declared their love for each other. What would come now would be their adventure alone.

Love. Though she was happy for her friends, Shizuma's opinion on love had not changed. She herself still vowed to remain single all her life, and enjoy the many girls that would cross her path, also determined to not feel a shred of guilt about it in the process.

"Sorry dad," Shizuma whispered to herself. "No relationship for Zuma-chan."

"Hey," sounded behind her in accented English. Ilsa hooked her arm through Shizuma's and started pulling her into the bedroom. "Come on," she spoke with light humor. "I won you fair and square. The bottle doesn't lie."

Shizuma grinned. Oh yes, she would enjoy what life had to offer.

**

* * *

**

So ended a lovely trip to Austria, with many revelations and new paths in life. Chikaru sat back in the seat of the plane, her book holding no interest. What did hold her interest, however, was the sleeping girl who had parked her head on her shoulder.

Just like last time, Shion had doped herself up to survive the plane-ride back to Japan. Chikaru put away her book and gently stroked Shion's hair for a moment. Friend who had become girlfriend.

Odd, really. Chikaru didn't think much would change for them. They'd still have lunch together, have long conversations in their rooms, or just hang out having fun. Not much would change, though anything they'd do would have the added benefits of kissing. Lots and lots of kissing, in fact.

She briefly wondered if the two of them had always been in love, yet only now dared to admit it to one another.

Then there were the others. She could see Miyuki sitting in the next row, trying to maintain a façade of dignity. Though she had managed to hidden it well, Chikaru could see that Miyuki had been crying. The parting between her and Gundrun had hit her harder than she cared to admit.

Shizuma was sitting one row in front of her, animatedly talking to her father. Shizuma had taken special care to say goodbye to their Swedish houseguests. Though she looked happy and satisfied, there was an overwhelming emptiness in her eyes.

Chikaru closed her eyes and sighed sadly. The two things Shizuma and Miyuki had most in common is how good they both were at lying to themselves.

Glancing at her Shion, she could only hope both her friends would someday discover the kind of happiness she and Shion had found. And that it would happen more sooner than later.

* * *

Next chapter- The start of Shion and Chikaru's second year at Astraea Hill, and the Arrival of Kaori on school grounds. Hopefully, the new Hello Work chapter won't take all that long to complete either.


	8. Chapter 8 : Kaori chan

Oh, wow, has it really been that long since I updates Opposites? Terribly sorry about that. Last year had been rough on me. I had a myriad of health problems while having to move house so I was forced to put a lot on the backburner. Unfortunately, Opposites (and writing in general) was one of those things. A shame too because I really wanted to write about Shizuma and Kaori's time together. Stopani is my home and the news that the full translation of the stopani light novels will be released this summer did a lot to rekindle my love for stopani and its characters. I am hoping to pick up the pace with Opposites and will soon post a new stopani story as well, and hope to keep up the updates more frequently.

Also, I've noticed that FF changed its format a little and removed a lot of my chapter breaks in this story and many of my others. I'll try to fix some of that over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the story continues. The focus will shift a bit more to Shizuma and Kaori, but I certainly won't ignore the titular couple. I hope you like it. :)

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapter 8 – Kaori-chan

Miyuki strolled through the dorms with determination, hoping that Shizuma wouldn't embarrass her again today. She'd better damn well be in their room of there'd be hell to pay. The Sister had expressly told them to go see her after class today, and, of course, Shizuma was nowhere to be found. Miyuki just hoped she didn't have search the entire school grounds to find her... just like last time. And the time before that.

Miyuki opened the door to their room and instinctively closed it again, before even noticing that Shizuma was, indeed, in their room. Miyuki had already traveled half a hallway before she stopped dead in her tracks and rushed back to the room.

"Back again?" Shizuma asked with a smirk as she lay on her stomach on bed reading a book. Judging from the cover, it was not a school book but rather one of those pulp horror novels Shizuma liked to read.

"Yes," Miyuki said, having no wish to elaborate. "Have you forgotten that the Sister wanted to see us?"

"Oh, right," Shizuma scratched her head and reluctantly left her book. "Shame too, I was getting into the story."

The two girls walked the hallways, headed towards the office. "I wonder what it's about... oh, hey, do you think they went with my idea for this year's school play? That would be wonderful!"

Miyuki sighed. "You can jump high and low, but I am certain our schools will not be performing 'Shoggoth on the Roof' this year. It's certifiably insane to think that we will."

"Aw, why not?" Shizuma grumbled. "It has a great story and great songs!"

Shizuma scraped her throat and sang in English. "_Byakhee, Byakhee, fly me through space, far from this place. Byakhee, Byakhee, what must I do? To go for a ride with you? Byakhee, Byakhee, now heed my call. I've done the spells, I've done them all. Out of Tartarian Darkness appear, and fly me away from here!_"

Miyuki groaned. Not only because of the subject matter, but because the sound of Shizuma's beautiful and infrequently used singing voice echoing through the halls of the Strawberry Dorms had started to attract admirers. "Seriously," Miyuki started. "You've been like this ever since Chikaru-chan lent you those awful Lovecraft books. I never thought I'd say this, but Chikaru-chan has a bad influence on you."

Shizuma ignored her as she continued the song. Having nearly reached the Sister's office, they had to pass through a gathering of admirers. Miyuki sighed heavily as she saw the effect it had on Shizuma, who proudly continued. "_We're really terribly weary, at least that's the theory, we're virgins still_."

"And if you believe that," Miyuki told while passing an admirer, "Shizuma has a bridge in Brooklyn she can sell you."

"Hey!" Shizuma broke out of the song to admonish Miyuki. Mission accomplished.

"That play will never make the cut. Too many tentacles. Will scare the first-years," Miyuki said. "Now, hurry along, the Sister will be waiting."

"What is this about then, if it's not about the play?" Shizuma sighed.

"I might as well tell you," Miyuki sighed. "We're going be requested to look after a new student. She will be entering Miator as a second year."

"What?" Shizuma blinked. "Why us?"

"There are apparently special circumstances," Miyuki replied. "The Sister will tell us."

"Not a chance!" Shizuma protested. "I will not have a little brat cramping my style. She'll only get in my way and ruin what little free time I have in this school. Time I need to rendezvous with my lovers. Time I need to..."

"... read pulp horror novels?"

"Amongst other things, yes," Shizuma narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to tell the Penguin she can find two other patsies to take care of that brat!"

"The school council has already decided she will be our room temp and..."

"You *are* the school council," Shizuma narrowed her eyes, knowing full well that Miyuki practically ran the school council due to the current president's ineptitude. "You can undo it!"

"Shizuma!" Miyuki tried to stop the hot-headed Shizuma, but she had already stormed into the office. Miyuki quickly followed.

Sister Hamanase's office was small, but large enough to hold a small gathering of girls. The window in the back offered a nice view of the cathedral. The walls of the office were lined with pictures of graduated classes, breaking the monotony of the many file cabinets. Unlike the Sisters running Lulim and Spica, Sister Hamanase had no computer and wrote everything by hand.

The elderly sister looked up from her conversation with a tiny girl. The tiny raven-haired girl turned around and gave the two older girls a polite bow. "Greetings. I am Sakuragi Kaori. Please take good care of me!"

Miyuki looked at Shizuma, only to notice her gaze was transfixed on the young girl. "Shizuma," Miyuki sighed. "Close your mouth, you're catching flies."

Once polite introductions were done, sister Hamanase asked Kaori to wait outside so that she could speak with both Miyuki and Shizuma in private.

"What I am about to tell you will not be pleasant," the Sister closed her eyes. "Kaori-chan is a very sick little girl. She's been suffering since birth from a rare auto-immune disorder which the doctors don't even fully understand yet. Basically, her immune system is attacking her own body constantly. As a result, she's often fatigued and feverish. Once before her condition has led to acute kidney failure. As a result has to undergo dialysis two times a week to help relieve the strain on her kidneys and to avoid blood poisoning."

Miyuki and Shizuma shared a look. "D-did you know this?" Shizuma asked.

"No," Miyuki was equally stunned. "I... just knew that Kaori-san would be entrusted in our care."

"That is where you both come in," Sister Hamanase spoke softly. "Poor Kaori-chan might not have much more time on this Earth. She herself is bearing the consequences of her condition surprisingly well. The reason I picked you two to watch over her is because I want her attendance at our school to be worthwhile. I am hoping on a balanced focus between academic activities and, well, fun. The both of you are my top students, despite Hanazono-san's... excesses. I trust between the two of you, Kaori-chan will find the right balance."

Miyuki looked at Shizuma again. There was a serious edge on her face this time. No sarcastic comment, no smirk, no rude comeback. It was refreshing to see Shizuma taking a task seriously for a change.

"Though I am hoping you will restrain yourself, Shizuma-chan," Hamanase spoke. "Will you please see to Kaori-chan? There are still some matters I wish to discuss with Miyuki-chan while she is here."

Miyuki watched Shizuma leave after giving the sister a curt nod. And she wondered if Shizuma would be able to handle the task. An ill girl's happiness depended on it.

* * *

Shizuma was quick to find Kaori. The small girl was looking out the window at some Lulim students who were playing around in costumes.

"It looks like they're having fun," Kaori giggled.

"Hm," Shizuma smiled. "A friend of mine is a student at Lulim. We could go visit her after I've shown you around the school grounds?"

"Will you show me everything, Hanazono-sempai?" Kaori asked, steeped in enthusiasm.

"Please, titles make my skin crawl. I'm just Shizuma."

Kaori thought for a moment. "Shizuma nee-sama, then?"

Shizuma thought for a moment. "I know I just said I hate titles, but really do like the sound of that. And I call you Kaori-chan?"

"Please!"

"You sure seem eager to poke around a school," Shizuma smirked. "That's unusual for a girl your age."

"Well," Kaori smiled. And a beautiful smile it was. "I've never been to school much. I was usually too ill to attend, so I had been given private tutors. This is all new to me."

Shizuma looked at Kaori. She was a beautiful young girl, with porcelain skin, deep red eyes and gorgeously pinned up raven-hair tied with a red ribbon. Those beautiful eyes... Shizuma felt like she could drown in them. But what mostly striking was the way Kaori carried herself. She had never seen someone so... vibrant, passionate and alive.

"I'm going to die young," Kaori spoke softly. The finality of what the girl just told her hit Shizuma like a sledgehammer to the face. Being young herself, Shizuma had never really considered her own mortality, after all, but she gathered Kaori had no other choice. There was something in the way Kaori said it, however, that relieved the message. Kaori was at peace with this, odd as it might sound to Shizuma.

"Life is so precious, Shizuma nee-sama. I want to experience and enjoy every moment," Kaori said softly. "Will Shizuma nee-sama help me with that?"

"I'll do my best," Shizuma smiled gently.

Shizuma and Kaori stepped outside the Dorms and let the smells of the forest and the warmth of the sun work their magic for a moment. "Hm, where shall we go first?" she rubbed her chin. "We could go see the riders at the horse-pen, or the lake. Or maybe go to the top of the cathedral. The view is magnificent. Oh, I promised you a trip to Lulim, didn't I?"

"One thing at a time, Shizuma nee-sama," Kaori smiled sweetly.

"Hm, let's just walk in that direction and see where we end up?"

"Sounds like a plan."

They chatted amiably for a moment, greeting the girls they passed. One of the girls they passed was Sei-chan, still one of Shizuma's many girlfriends. Sei waved at Shizuma from the distance, a gesture which Shizuma mimicked. While they did this, Kaori looked from Shizuma, to Sei and finally back to Shizuma.

"That girl is deeply in love with you," Kaori said. "But you are not in love with her."

Shizuma was taken aback by the girl's perception, but at the same time was pleasantly surprised to see Kaori was not nearly as naive as she had expected her to be.

* * *

Chikaru found herself pacing back and forth in front of the Lulim main building. Several girls moved to their respective destination, chatting as they went, but Chikaru paid them little heed. It wasn't often Chikaru was impatient and it wasn't a very fun feeling.

Having just come back from a lengthy summer break, the fresh second year had come back to school in force. She had spent a wonderful time with her family back home. Mostly, her parents were happy that she was their to keep her two little brothers under control and Chikaru once again enjoyed long walks and playing with her beloved family basset hound James. There was a rather significant downside to it, however.

Shion wasn't there with her.

The two friends had become girlfriends and had to endure the agony of a parting only a few days after this monumental revelation. Of course, there was the phone and email, so they had lengthy contact during their separation for several hours each day. It was enough to worry her parents, but Chikaru had told them nothing as of yet.

It was not that she was afraid or ashamed to tell her parents that Shion was her girlfriend. It also wasn't because she thought her parents would react badly. No, it simply didn't feel right to tell her parents without Shion being there. Chikaru was planning to tell them as soon as possible.

Also, while Chikaru was having a fun time with her parents, Shion had spent a rather lonely time at her family estate. Another reason for the lengthy phone calls.

Chikaru continued pacing impatiently while she waited, until finally she was rewarded.

"Chikaru-chan!" sounded from the road leading to Spica. In the distance, Shion came running, once again wearing her prim and proper white uniform. Pure joy took shape in Chikaru's smile and rushed over to her.

The two girls embraced fiercely. Chikaru had severely missed being close to her friend and girlfriend Shion. They gazed into each other's eyes and leaned in for a kiss. The lips met, their tongues touched, their noses... missed. But then again, since their time in that closet in Vienna, they had gotten a lot of practice.

"I missed you so much," Shion smiled while they pressed their foreheads together.

"I'm so glad to see you again," Chikaru returned as the two of them walked back to the Lulim school building. They were greeted by several Lulim students as they passed and sat down on a bench near the Lulim vegetable gardens behind the school building, near the back entrance.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Shion said. "I was asked to go see the student council president as soon as I returned to the school grounds."

Shion beamed as Chikaru waited for her to continue. "She told me that since one of the council members had graduated, she was considering me for promotion."

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru said, being so very happy for her girlfriend. "That's wonderful."

"It is," Shion sighed. "I think my family name had something to do with it, though."

"No, it was your own effort," Chikaru admonished. She herself had helped Shion to work out the many ideas and proposals she had. The student council heard them all, listened to a lowly secretary. "They saw your worth. Be proud of yourself, Shion-koi."

"President Toumori Shion…" Shion whispered to herself. "It'll happen someday. I know it!"

Just as Chikaru was about to treat Shion to a celebratory kiss, the cheerful sound of Shizuma's voice brought them back to reality. "Hey, hey, hey," said Shizuma as she stepped towards the bench they were sitting on. "There's my two favorite lovebirds. Welcome back!"

Shizuma took Chikaru into a hug. Chikaru knew Shizuma had always been a fierce proponent of skinship, and thus enjoyed the hug in the spirit it was given. Shion was less appreciative of this. It would be more right to say that Shion endured the hug Shizuma gave her.

It was then that Chikaru noticed a smaller Miator student following Shizuma around. She was raven-haired, very pale and wore a pleasant smile. Shizuma followed her gaze, sighed and slapped her hand against her own forehead.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Shizuma said. "My friends, this is Sakuragi Kaori. Kaori-chan, these are my friends Minamoto Chikaru and Toumori Shion."

Polite bows were exchanged before the four girls started chatting, sharing their experiences from their time on summer holidays. While Shion took Kaori apart for a few moments to answer questions about Spica, Shizuma and Chikaru sat down at the bench.

"Have you been enjoying the books I lent you?" Chikaru asked with a curious tone of voice.

"Definitely," Shizuma said. "I feel like Derleth is a good writer, but he will always be in Lovecraft's shadow. It's sad when you think about it."

"Oh, did you hear?" Chikaru added. "There'll be a new omnibus with Clive Barker short stories released soon."

"Hm," Shizuma frowned. "I know, but I think I read all of those shorts already. I'll probably buy it for the sake of completeness, though. Did you read Otsuichi's latest? I'm sort of curious about it."

"Haven't had time for it yet, but the reviews are very good," Chikaru said.

"Just started in Peter Straub's latest myself," Shizuma rubbed her chin. "But I really should read some more of Joe Lansdale's stuff. I loved Bubba Ho-Tep."

"Everybody loves Bubba Ho-Tep," Chikaru grinned.

Shizuma thought for a moment. "I wonder why all the best horror writers are all men."

"I wonder why the biggest horror fans of all are both girls!" Chikaru winked.

"Touche," Shizuma chuckled. "Anyway, Caitlin Kiernan..."

"SHIZUMA-SAN!" Shion's shout startled both girls. They both saw Shion kneeling next to Kaori, who seemed to be having a coughing fit. With concern etched on her features, Shizuma rushed to Kaori, knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Kaori was trembling and seemingly had trouble breathing. Chikaru could see that Shion was panicking and Shizuma was uncertain of what to do.

"I'll go get the nurse!" Chikaru said and about to run off when a cry from Kaori stopped her.

"No," Kaori wheezed between breaths. "It's okay. It... it'll pass. I have good days and bad, this is one of the good ones. Let's not ruin this beautiful day by spending it in a nurse's office."

Shion and Shizuma both visibly relaxed after Kaori took a few moments to rest. Kaori removed a bottle of pills from her bag, took two and followed it up with a few sips from a plastic bottle of water.

Outwardly, she seemed fine, but Chikaru wasn't so easily fooled. Though Kaori hid it very well, she could tell the small girl was experiencing a tremendous amount of pain.

Chikaru also noticed that Shizuma hadn't removed the hand from Kaori's shoulder the whole time. Though concerned at the moment, Shizuma seemed honestly cheerful to have this small girl around. Of course, Shizuma was often outwardly cheerful, but the silver-haired girl had gotten rather good at faking it.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden," Kaori apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Chikaru smiled.

"Do you feel up to walking?" Shizuma asked gently.

Kaori nodded. "I do."

"I was showing around Kaori-chan on the school grounds. And we came here looking for the club rosters," Shizuma asked Chikaru.

"Oh, those are inside," Chikaru told her friends. "Please, follow me."

* * *

The inside of the Lulim school building was as cheerful and colorful as the outside. Less concerned with being a dignified school, Lulim epitomized the ideal of school as a fun place for her students. Girls in cheery cosplay costumes, colorful art on the walls, large windows letting in plenty of daylight... it was a far cry from the more dignified and stoic appearances of Spica and Miator.

The uniforms itself epitomized this - colorful, comfortable and light. Unlike the prim and proper white Spica uniforms or the heavy 7-piece dresses the Miator students had to wear.

Shizuma dodged three first years chasing after each other in the hallways, after making sure they wouldn't knock over Kaori. Chikaru brought them to a large pin-board which was covered almost entirely with club advertisements.

"Wow," Kaori blinked. "There's so many."

"Do you see something you like?" Shizuma asked.

Chikaru enjoyed seeing students from all three schools looking over the board. Unlike the more elitist elements in Miator and Spica, clubs at Lulim were open to students from all three schools. Club life in Lulim was also quite fluent. New clubs were formed often, clubs were merged and changed all the time. Though confusing for many an outsider, there was method to Lulim's madness: No clubs in Lulim were technically ever ended, leading to an almost unlimited club budget for Lulim from the school board.

"What's this?" Shion asked. "Bunny Petting Club?"

"Oh, yes," Chikaru smiled. "The bunnies at the Lulim Petting Zoo have just had babies. And they need lots of petting and attention."

"I didn't even know the Hill even had a petting zoo," Shion scratched her head.

"It's new," Chikaru said. "Sister Hitomi had one made at end of last school year. She said it would be good for the students to experience handling animals. Plus, they're very cute."

Chikaru took one of the complementary pens and wrote both her and Shion's name on the list. "There. We are going to be petting bunnies today, Shion-koi."

Shion was about to protest, but apparently decided that petting bunnies with Chikaru would be nice.

"Uhhhm," Kaori put a finger to her lips. "There's so many. How about something we can both enjoy, Shizuma nee-sama?"

"I'd like that," Shizuma replied.

Chikaru cocked her head slightly at Shizuma's tone of voice. A small smile started to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"What's this?" Shizuma frowned. " A Cookie and Pie Eating Club?"

"Ah, yes," Chikaru chuckled. "Our Cookie and Pie Baking Club has so much output, we need a separate club to get rid of all the produce."

"Is that something you'd like?" Shizuma asked Kaori. "You seem like a person with a sweet tooth."

"I'd like to," Kaori smiled. "But I can't eat much sugar on one day."

"Right, your dietary constraints," Shizuma bit her lip. "Sorry, didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, Shizuma nee-sama. Hm, what's this?" Kaori pointed at a card advertising the Gardening Club. "Don't you like gardening?"

"I do," Shizuma said. "But it's hard work. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"As long as Shizuma nee-sama carries the big bags of earth, I should be fine," Kaori giggled at Shizuma's undignified expression.

"Just call me Shizuma Atlas," she flexed, producing decidedly unimpressive musculature in her upper arms. "Alright, it's decided then. Tomorrow, we start gardening," she winked at Kaori and wrote both their names on the roster.

Shizuma and Kaori excused themselves and went on their way to continue Kaori's tour, leaving Chikaru and Shion standing in the school.

"That girl is such a nice person," Shion said.

"Shion-koi," Chikaru smiled sweetly. "We've just witnessed the start of something wonderful."

"Hm?" Shion replied. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Chikaru replied softly. "You'll see."

But Chikaru was also quite worried. She had recognized the pills Kaori had taken as the same heavy-duty painkillers her grandmother had been prescribed before falling ill towards the end of her life. And to say that the poor girl was in constant agony was maybe even an understatement. Still, Kaori was a cheerful girl who kept a brave face.

Yes, something wonderful had started here. Chikaru just hoped it wouldn't end in tragedy.

* * *

After the fun they had, Kaori had requested to see an activity which Shizuma really liked. That made Shizuma think for a moment. Though she wasn't embarrassed about it, she feared introducing Kaori to the wonderful world of horror would give the wrong impression, at least at first. They would be gardening with Lulim tomorrow, so going to the greenhouse would be a bit superfluous. There was one club left, then.

Fencing.

Shizuma had been an avid fencer ever since coming to the Hill. While most girls chose for a more traditional Japanese sport like Kendo, fencing had a small but dedicated following.

Thankfully, it was not to late to find several girls fighting at the fencing ring, which was in the arena shared with the Kendo club. Several thick mats surrounded by viewing benches. While Kaori took her seat, Shizuma was quick to change into her mask and plastron after getting her favorite foil from her locker. Her opponent, a plucky Lulim fifth-year called Kasumi, stood at the ready.

Kaori looked on with interest, but then Shizuma decided to have a little fun.

"Fair lady!" Shizuma turned to her. "Forsooth, I shalt fight for thy honor and thy affection!"

Kasumi cocked her head when Shizuma addressed her as well. "How dare thee besmudge the honor of yon fair lady! Thou art a knave of questionable repute!" Shizuma removed her mask for a moment to wink at Kasumi. Kasumi apparently took the hint and was eager to play along.

"Fair lady, if I might have a small token of thy affection, it shalt fill my heart with joy and the will to fight!" Shizuma said, and raised her foil to her face.

Kaori laughed brightly and removed one of the ribbons from her hair. Shizuma extended her foil and allowed Kaori to hang the ribbon from it.

"I shalt treasure thy precious ribbon," Shizuma said and tied the ribbon to the hilt of her foil. The silver-haired girl didn't wait any longer and took an offensive position on the mat, challenging her opponent to attack. Shizuma had no intention to fight a normal match. Rather, she made a rather theatrical experience out of it for the sake of Kaori.

Rather than simply side-stepping, Shizuma was all around the mat with some fancy footwork. Aside from that, she was extremely aggressive with her offensive moves. "Hah!" Shizuma grinned after Kasumi missed her by a mile. "Thou fightest like a cow!" Shizuma twirled her blade, tossed it in the air and caught it just in time to block another attack.

Kaori clapped her hands excitedly, enjoying Shizuma's antics very much.

Shizuma once again sidestepped and swatted her blade at Kasumi's rear. "Hah! Not a chance!" Shizuma grinned and took a moment to blow a kiss to Kaori.

She shouldn't have done that. A distraction like that was all Kasumi needed to strike back. Shizuma reacted too slowly to dodge the attack, and the tip of Kasumi's foil bit into Shizuma's plastron.

"Aah! Uhhhhh!" Shizuma ripped off her mask, grabbed her 'wound' and theatrically sank her knees. "Fair lady!" she faked pain. "I have failed thee."

"Nooooooooo!" Kaori wailed between giggles.

"Uhhhhhh," Shizuma let herself fall back to the mat while Kaori rushed up to her. "Fair lady... to look upon thee one last time... before death... is heaven..."

Shizuma faked a shudder, her body lay still while her head rolled to one side. The entire room went silent save for the mad giggling coming from Kaori. Eventually, Shizuma cracked open one eye. "I just died for you, Kaori-chan," Shizuma grinned. "You're supposed to be sadder than that."

It only made Kaori giggle harder.

"I feel sorta guilty now," Kasumi bit her lip.

"Don't worry," Shizuma winked before getting up. "I'll give you a good proper fight next time. You won't get me down that easily ever again."

"I look forward to it," Kasumi bowed slightly.

* * *

Miyuki was just finishing up some reports for the student council when she heard the lock on the door being opened. A few moments later, Shizuma stepped through. The tall silver-haired beauty ripped off her necktie and tossed it on the coat rack.

"Hey," she greeted and ducked into their bathroom. Miyuki looked outside the window and saw it was nearly dark outside. Moments later, Shizuma came out of the bathroom wearing slacks and a T-shirt and threw herself on her bed, once again burying herself in that infernal pulp horror novel she had been reading earlier today.

"You've been out long," Miyuki stated. "Been enjoying your time with Sakuragi-san?"

"Definitely," Shizuma said while flipping through the pages of her book to find which chapter she had been reading. "I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to join us. Tomorrow the three of us must go have a picnic and enjoy the day together."

"Not going out tonight?" Miyuki asked, knowing full well that Shizuma often snuck around the dorm to visit a lover, or sneak off school grounds and hit the night life in town.

"Nah," Shizuma shrugged. "I'm too tired, I still have my book and, frankly, I don't think I will have such a good time with anyone else than I had with Kaori today."

"I've tried to find you," Miyuki said. "But it seemed you two were constantly on the move."

Shizuma nodded. "I brought Kaori-chan to her room. Poor thing, she was so tired. Fell asleep almost immediately. I'm afraid I wore her out."

Miyuki blinked. "Shizuma..." she started. "That sounded... rather suspicious."

"What?" Shizuma protested. "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. Kaori-chan is a nice girl, okay? I can't like a nice girl? I can't form a perfectly normal platonic friendship with a nice girl? It's not all about sex, you know?"

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Shizuma?" Miyuki crossed her arms.

"Give me some credit, please," Shizuma grumbled enough for Miyuki to drop the subject. As Shizuma flipped through her book, Miyuki steered the conversation in another direction.

Miyuki sat up and scraped her throat. "Aren't you wondering why I spent so much time with the Sister after you left?"

"Nope," Shizuma replied while reading.

Annoyance flashed across Miyuki's features, but she let it pass. "There's going to be an Etoile election this year," Miyuki spoke. "Tsukiumi-sama and Noriko-sama will be graduating, after all."

"Good for them," Shizuma shrugged.

"The Sister wants to keep the honor of having the Etoiles to Miator," Miyuki started. "She wants the two of us to run and represent our school. You are loved, I am respected. The Sister said we are the perfect match."

Shizuma looked up from her book, frowning.

"She doesn't want our answer just yet, but I'm asking you to consider it."

"Being Etoile," Shizuma shook her head. "Isn't that a lot of extra work with little to no benefits?"

"It's prestige," Miyuki said. "It's honoring the spirit of our school."

"Screw our school and its spirit," Shizuma scoffed. "I have no interest in getting involved with the petty rivalry between Spica and Miator. Besides, you would have to give up your seat on the student council if you were to become Etoile. I thought you wanted to be president."

"A small price to pay," Miyuki smiled. "Just imagine it, representing Astraea Hill under the banner of Miator. Being an ambassador to other schools, the best and the brightest of all, respected by the student bodies."

"You know what I think?"

"Hm?"

Shizuma rolled on her stomach and buried her nose in her book once more. "That I should have talked my father into enrolling me in Lulim. Much... less... hassle..."

Miyuki sighed. Shizuma would be a tough nut to crack, but given enough prodding the stubborn girl could be convinced. She hoped beyond hope that if only Shizuma would accept, it would be a chance for her to finally be accepted into Shizuma's heart.

* * *

Elsewhere, at the Lulim Petting Zoo, Chikaru and Shion were sitting on a small bench somewhat away from the other club members. They were sitting so close together their shoulders touched and both held a lazy brown bunny in their laps which they were gently stroking.

"This is nice," Chikaru smiled and lay her head on Shion's shoulder for a moment. "Just the two of us."

"And these bunnies," Shion giggled.

"The bunnies know how to keep secrets," Chikaru nodded sagely. But it was nice. The sun was setting, the weather was balmy and the bunnies were fluffy. It was just wonderful to be back together again. "We should do this again tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Shion said. "The student council wants me to attend the meeting tomorrow. It's probably going to take all evening."

"Oh," Chikaru said, finding it hard to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"But there's only one meeting this week," Shion said quickly. "So... aaargghh!"

Shion quickly handed her bunny to a startled Chikaru. "My bunny peed," Shion muttered softly as she patted her now soiled uniform. "I just had this uniform steam pressed!"

"Aww," Chikaru said, then smiled and raised a finger in the air. "I know! We must visit the Uniform Cleaning Club!"

"Eh?" Shion blinked.

"Considering how active and lively Lulim students are, we always have to deal with dirty uniforms! So much, in fact, that we have a special Club devoted to cleaning uniforms!" Chikaru proclaimed. "Let us visit them post-haste!"

Shion shook her head. "You always have an answer for everything, hm?"

"Yes!" Chikaru said. "Now come along!"

After handing their bunnies back to the members of the Petting Zoo Care Club, the two girls made their way across the building. All the while, Shion couldn't help wondering what she had done to deserve the affections of someone like Chikaru.

* * *

That ends this chapter. The next update will probably take a month or so. Still better than a year. :D

Also, check out Shoggoth on the Roof on youtube. It's fun, especially if you're a Lovecraft fan. I would sorely love to see the Stopani cast perform this musical.


	9. Chapter 9 : Ultimate Horror

Woahs, two updates from me within the same months? Impossible! :) Seriously, while the imminent release of Dragon Age 2 which throw a bit of a wrench in my release schedule, I do intend to update frequently.

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter! It came out a bit longer than expected, but I hope you won't mind.

**

* * *

**

**Opposites**

Chapter 9 - Ultimate Horror

Shizuma groaned slightly when her eyes fluttered open. She found herself staring right into a ray of sunlight which penetrated the mostly darkened room through a small seperation between the drapes.

Her bare skin shifted against the softness of the duvet as rolled from her stomach to her side. It took a moment for the blissful memories of the previous night to return to her. As it turned out, Sei-chan's room mate had been given a leave of absence to attend her parent's 25-year anniversary. A most fortuitous happening. Shizuma considered Sei to be one of her favored girlfriends. The Lulim student was smart, non-judgemental and one of the more passionate and experienced lovers Shizuma had the pleasure to spend the night with. And what a night it was.

In fact, the memories were so blissful, she had a taste for an encore before class. She felt around in bed but found it empty besides herself.

"Sei-chan?" she asked groggily.

"Here," sounded the voice of Sei-chan, a somewhat sad edge to her words. Shizuma shifted so that the sun wouldn't blind her and found Sei-chan, wearing a night shift, sitting at her desk with her back turned to her.

Shizuma yawned slightly. "Sei-chan, why don't you come back to bed?"

"Shi-chan," Sei started heavily. "I... I can't do this any more."

"Hm?" a confused Shizuma cocked her head to one side.

"You don't even realize what I'm talking about, do you?" Sei replied bitterly. "No, of course you don't."

"What is this about?" Shizuma sat up in bed, not bothering to reach for her clothes.

Sei chuckled slightly, wry and bitter. "I love you, Shi-chan. I've told you many times before. I love you so very much, in fact. But... you don't love me back."

"I don't love anyone," Shizuma replied softly. "That's just not how my brain is wired. You've always known this."

Sei nodded, still not turning to face Shizuma. "I know. Did you know I actually lied to myself? I told myself I could make you love me if I'd just try hard enough. But it's not working. It'll take a very special girl to make you fall for her... And as much as it pains me, I am not that girl."

Shizuma closed her eyes. "Sei-chan," she whispered. "Don't we have fun?"

"We're playing at being lovers," Sei replied with a chuckle. "And don't get me wrong, whenever we've went out on date, Shi-chan, I had a hell of a lot of fun with you. You've made me laugh so many times with your wonderful wit and antics. Our kisses were heavenly, and all the nights I spent in your arms... magnificent, but..."

"Isn't that enough?" Shizuma asked softly. "Sei-chan?"

"I think I'm just a selfish person," Sei-chan sniffed. "I don't want to share you with anyone. I want you all to myself. I want to be the center of your universe. I... I just want you to love me back."

"Sei-chan," Shizuma sighed heavily. "I can't give you want you are asking for. I just can't give you more than this. And I'm sorry about that."

"It almost sounds like you actually mean it," Sei chuckled in spite of herself.

"Can't we continue just having fun?" Shizuma asked softly. "You can't say you haven't enjoyed your time with me."

"You don't understand," Sei sniffed. "You just don't understand at all, do you?"

"Then make me understand," Shizuma said.

"I'm hurting myself by being with you," Sei said. "I need to get over you. Find a girl who will love me as much as I love her. By staying with you, I am killing my own happiness. I'd... hate to lose your friendship, Shi-chan, but... we can't be pretend-lovers any more. I need more than just fun. I need to choose for myself now."

"I..." Shizuma kept her eyes downcast. "I guess I can understand that. And I do value your friendship, Sei-chan. Sure we can't be friends with benefits?"

Sei laughed for a moment. "I'm sure, Shizuma. I think we need some time apart, though. I can't look you in the eye right now. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll change my mind and jump right into your arms again."

"Not such a bad fate, is it?"

"Yes," Sei nodded sadly. "Yes, it is."

Sei suddenly got up and rushed into the bathroom. Shizuma looked on with interest as Sei came out having dressed into her Lulim uniform in record time. "I suggest you get dressed, or you'll be late for class. Goodbye, Shizuma."

The door opened and shut, leaving Shizuma to sit back in bed, wondering what the hell just happened. "Well," she whispered to no one in particular. "This is new."

**

* * *

**

Osaka was beautiful this time of year. The Shinkansen had delivered Chikaru and her girlfriend Shion at her home city of Osaka where they would be staying at her family home over the weekend.

For Chikaru, it was wonderful to be home again. She loved this city, had grown up here and looked forward to showing Shion around and introducing her to her childhood friends.

Shion looked a little nervous, as she tended to be in crowds. Still, Chikaru had to admit Shion looked lovely wearing that black skirt and shirt, covering it with a brown leather jacket, even if the backpack was looking rather out of place. Chikaru herself was wearing a frilly blue summer dress and a reed sun hat.

Oh, they were going to have so much fun!

But before all that, there was just one teensy weeny little thing to do before all that. Just a small, little thing, really. Hardly worth mentioning: she had to tell her parents that she's a lesbian and that Shion's her girlfriend.

The thought alone made knots in her stomach.

"Hey," Chikaru giggled when she saw the look on Shion's face. "You're more nervous than I am! That is not allowed! They're *my* parents."

"Easy for you to say," Shion replied nervously. "They're *your* parents, like you said. They already love you. I'm the one who's going to have to work hard for acceptance."

Chikaru had to admit that Shion had a point. Shion took out a small box and opened it. It contained a traditional small gift for the host, in this case, a box filled with onigiri. "I should have gotten something more expensive, I think."

"It's fine," Chikaru replied. "My parents might actually take offense at expensive gifts. They know your family is very rich, so my father especially might think you'd be trying to intimidate them."

"Alright then," Shion said, still not feeling very reassured.

"Hey," Chikaru put her hands on Shion's shoulders. "Just be yourself."

"Not very good advice, Chikaru-chan," Shion laughed nervously for a moment.

Chikaru's family home was still a bus trip away. Soon enough, the girls found themselves in a sleepy suburb with one or two story family homes, separated by walls and narrow roads. Above them were clear blue skies and birds in the sky. Sun and warm temperatures abound.

It was nice to walk through her old neighborhood with Shion. She was eager to point out the many spots important to her from her childhood, ranging from the houses of friends, playgrounds, parks to icecream stands. Chikaru was also regularly greeted by old neighbors and often stopped for a brief chat during which she happily introduced a rather timid Shion.

Finally, Chikaru's house came into view. It was a lovely Japanese style two-story family home, brown in color yet with a mosaic of colorful roofing tiles. There was room for a yard both in front and back of the house, and on the roof stood a large satellite dish rather than the more common aerial antennae.

Chikaru smiled broadly as she caught glimpse of two boys who had been looking out the top floor window. A few moments later, two young boys followed suit by a happily barking basset hound rushed out of the gate.

"Chikaru nee-sama!" yelled out her brother Tomo.

"We missed you!" yelled out her other brother Kisho. The two boys were fraternal twins of the same age. Chikaru knelt down and took both her brothers in a fierce hug. The family dog tried frantically to find a place to happily jump up against Chikaru.

Behind her, Shion looked on with a slight twinge of jealousy. She was an only child, and hardly saw any kind of affections between family members in the Toumori household.

"Hey, it's the girl who yelled at dad!"

"The cool girl!"

"Boys," Chikaru admonished. "Be polite to Shion onee-sama. She's a dear friend of mine."

The two boys bowed politely. "Good day, Shion onee-sama," they spoke simultaneously.

Shion returned the bow and the greeting. Soon enough, the excited boys ran back into the house to inform their parents that Chikaru had arrived. Just as Chikaru and Shion had entered the yard, they were greeted by Chikaru's mother, Minamoto Ai. Mother and daughter had a startling resemblance, to the point that they currently even had the same hairdo.

Chikaru and her mother hugged for a moment. Shion watched on and felt like an intruder. Combined with the fact that she had no idea how Chikaru's parents would react to the bombshell which would be dropped on them later, Shion found herself to be incredibly nervous.

"Shion-san," Chikaru's mother bowed. "It is nice to see you again. You look well."

"I thank you for your hospitality," Shion bowed politely and held out the onigiri. "Please... accept this small token."

"Thank you," Ai took the gift. "I'm sorry but we don't have any spare guestrooms. I'm afraid you'll have to share Chikaru-chan's room."

Shion blushed slightly, making Chikaru giggle. "Uhm, that's perfectly fine."

The girls exchanged their shoes for comfy slippers at the door. Shion could immediately see that there was a lot of warmth in this household. The house was much smaller than Shion was used to, but it was lovingly maintained and was filled with knick knacks and photographs of the family. The living room they passed seemed comfortable, well-loved and often used.

Just before they headed up the stairs, Kisho and Tomo were back and ran all around them bombarding them both with dozens of questions. But Chikaru simply held up her hand, silencing the boys immediately. "Boys," she started. "There'll be plenty of opportunities for questions later. Right now, Shion-san and I want to get settled first. Is that okay?"

Both boys nodded and Shion and Chikaru made their way to the second floor where Chikaru had her room. Being the oldest child, Chikaru had the biggest room. There was a western style one person bed against the right wall, and because it was a corner room, she had the luxury of having two windows. A well-used writing desk with a laptop was underneath the window next to her bed, while book cases slipping over with mangas, books and figures lined the left wall. The walls were decorated with blue wallpaper and several sexy posters of female idols. On her bed lay several well-loved stuffed animals.

In the middle of the room lay a comfortable looking futon which Chikaru's mother had prepared for her. Shion put down her backpack and removed her toiletries to put them in the bathroom later. Other than that, she had brought her own pillow and a clean set of clothes.

A knock on the door alerted them to the presence of Minamoto Ai. "When you girls are settled, you both may come down for a glass of fizzy lemonade. Also, Shion-san, when we bathe in the evening we share the hot water and since you are our guest, you will of course be the first to bathe."

"Thank you," Shion bowed at Ai.

"I must say," said Ai. "You've just spent six weeks at home and already you are spending the weekend with us. Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I hope you haven't gotten homesick."

"No, no," Chikaru said. "I, uh, just wanted to show Shion-chan my house and my neighborhood."

"Ah, yes," Ai winked at Shion. "Our daughter is quite taken with you, Shion-san. In fact, you were almost all she ever talked about when she was here with us," she chuckled. "'Mom, let me tell you about the time Shion-chan and I...' or 'This reminds me of when Shion-chan and I...'. Oh, she missed you terribly. And she was always telling us about the things you do together. I'm glad you are such a good friend to my daughter."

Shion looked at Chikaru and saw that she was blushing.

"Oh, well," Ai said cheerfully. "I'll go prepare the lemonade for you."

After Ai left the room, Chikaru grimaced and started patting off her bed-spray. "Darn," Chikaru said. "Looks like our cats claimed this room for their own since I left. There's hair everywhere."

Shion looked out of the window and into the yard, where Chikaru's little brothers were playing. "I really like your house," Shion said.

"Glad to hear it," Chikaru smiled. "I'd think it'd be a lot smaller than you're used to."

"Heh," Shion smirked. "It takes me five minutes to walk from one side of the Toumori estate to the other. And if I get really lucky, I might even run into someone along the way. This is much better."

"I expect to see this estate at some point," Chikaru smiled and put her hands on Shion's shoulders. "And I'm really curious about this grandmother of yours."

"We will," Shion smiled. "I just have to find a right time when she's actually at the estate. I can tell you one thing, though."

"What's that?"

"There's no way in hell she'll be making us fizzy lemonade," Shion laughed at the thought. "A shame, really."

**

* * *

**

Shizuma made her way through the hallways of the Dorms after classes had finished. She hadn't seen Kaori all day yet and missed her in the cafeteria at lunch. Inquiries at the Miator school building had confirmed that Kaori had been excused from afternoon classes.

The silver-haired girl stood outside the room assigned to Kaori and knocked. "Kaori-chan?" she said. "It's Shizuma. Can I come in?"

"Enter!" sounded a cheerful voice from the other side of the door.

"Righto," Shizuma said as she opened the door. "What do you want to do today? We still haven't visited Spica and..."

Shizuma stopped in her tracks as she saw the spectacle before her. Kaori was wearing her uniform, but lay on bed, propped up by a few pillows. Her sleeve had been tied up and rubber tubes had been connected to her arm through hypodermic needles. The tubes carried blood from her body into a machine which stood next to her bed.

It was abundantly clear that Kaori was undergoing one of her two weekly dialysis sessions. Shizuma could hardly contain her disappointment. She had very much looked forward to taking another walk with Kaori, after all.

"I'm happy you're here, Shizuma nee-sama. I'm afraid we won't be doing any gardening today," Kaori smiled as Shizuma took a seat next to her on the bed. "I'm glad that Miator has its own dialysis device so I don't have to go to the hospital, but... it's just so boring. The nurse had to go to the station because she's the only one on duty today, but she gave me this big red button to push if something'd go wrong."

Shizuma looked at the tubes, the machine and Kaori. "D-does that hurt?"

"No, it doesn't," Kaori said. "And I usually feel a lot better afterward. Sometimes I get muscle cramps, but those usually pass quickly."

"Good to know," Shizuma smiled gently.

"Funny," Kaori returned the smile. "Nobody ever asked me that question before."

"In that case, I am glad I am unique," Shizuma winked at Kaori.

Kaori giggled at that. "It's just that it's very boring. I have a weak constitution, so the dialysis has to be slow. It usually takes three hours and I still have two to go."

"What do you do during those three hours?" Shizuma asked, finding it mind boggling to be confined to inactivity in a bed for so long.

"I can't sleep or I might shift and yank out the tubes, so I usually just talk to the nurse, watch a little TV, listen to music or read a book," Kaori said.

Shizuma nodded. "The Dorms have no TV, and since your things haven't arrived yet you have no radio, no MP3-player and no books to read."

Kaori nodded with a slight smile. "I'm bored out of my skull," she laughed briefly. "And I've counted the boards in the ceiling five times already. So I'm glad for your visit, Shizuma nee-sama."

After that, Shizuma made it her personal mission for the day to un-bore Kaori. Shizuma and Kaori chatted animatedly about the events of the day, up to and including a prank she pulled on her homeroom teacher, chasing off two annoying Spica students who were picking on the new first years and about catching two younger students kissing in the garden. The stories made Kaori smile and giggle, which in turn made Shizuma feel much happier.

"Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked. "May I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure."

"Miyuki-san told me that you often carry books with you into class."

"Did she now?" Shizuma raised an eyebrow. Of course, Miyuki was right. Most classes were so boring and Shizuma passed all the tests with flying colors anyway, so she often brought novels which she covertly read during class.

"Will you read to me from your book, Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked with eager eyes. "I'm sure you have a beautiful reading voice."

"Uhm, I don't know," Shizuma looked away. "The book is in English..."

"I can follow English," Kaori said. "And you can fill me in when I don't understand something."

"I..." Shizuma bit her lip. "I'm not sure you'll like it."

"Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked again, this time with some concern. "Are you embarrassed?"

Shizuma closed her eyes and sighed. "It's just that most tell me a girl isn't supposed to like stories like this. In fact, Miyuki is quite vocal about it. I tend to keep my literary preferences to myself as a result."

Kaori's gave Shizuma an encouraging look. "Don't be embarrassed. How will I ever know if I'll like the story or not until you've read it to me? And I won't judge you for it. Promise."

Shizuma looked at Kaori and it was easy to see that the smaller girl was sincere. She still felt some hesitation, but quickly relented.

Shizuma shook her head and grinned. "Alright," she said. "But remember, it was *your* idea."

"If Shizuma nee-sama likes the story, then so will I!" Kaori said resolutely. "And if you can't finish it now, you'll just have to read me the rest of the story the next time I have dialysis Promise?"

"Promise." The silver-haired girl took the book from her bag and climbed onto the bed. She lay down besides Kaori and cracked it open. It took her a few moments to find the right page.

"Alright, here we go," Shizuma said and scraped her voice. She continued in perfectly un-accented English. "_Chapter 1. The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far_."

Kaori pressed against Shizuma and lay her head on Shizuma's shoulder, to look at the text as Shizuma read. "_The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age_."

Much to Shizuma's amazement and joy, Kaori completely ate up the story. It would be only one of many she would read to her before the dialysis session would finally end.

**

* * *

**

The day at Chikaru's house passed quickly. After enjoying their lemonade, Chikaru and Shion chatted with Ai and played with Tomo and Kisho.

Chikaru's father, Okabe Ito, returned from the office far earlier in the day than he usually would. The first thing he did when getting home was treating his daughter to a fierce hug. It was no secret to Chikaru that all members of her family missed her terribly and were happy to have her back over summer break. Her brothers had even cried when it was time for Chikaru to leave for Astraea Hill again.

After about half an hour of conversation, the family moved to the dinner table to eat the meal Ai had prepared. Many different bowls with several Japanese dishes were placed on the table, ensuring that there would be something for everybody.

"I hope you'll make a habit of visiting us over the weekend, Chikaru-chan," Ito smiled gently while eating his Miso soup. "We need your smile to brighten our day. And you, Shion-san," he turned to the blonde Spican.

"Hm?" Shion looked up.

"The way Chikaru-chan talks about you, it's as if the you're the sun goddess Amaterasu come down to earth," Ito said. "Thank you for being a good friend to my daughter, even if you are a Toumori."

"I suppose there's a compliment hidden in there," Shion replied harshly. Chikaru guessed she had not intended it to sound as harsh as she did, but she knew Shion was proud of her family and her name and would not have it sullied by anyone for any reason. Chikaru wasn't surprised, however, since her father's action groups and the Toumori family had had a checkered history of butting heads over all manner of labor disputes.

This trip was meant to tell her family about her relationship with Shion, but Chikaru had been struggling to find the right moment. Her family was... odd, by Japanese standards. Her parents didn't believe in marriage as an institute, and thus never married. They had Chikaru when they were second year students in university and after university became professional activists. Both her parents were involved with several unions as negotiators and legal consultants. Her father especially could be passionate and fierce about worker protection and rights.

Even her name, Chikaru, wasn't a traditional Japanese name in any sense of the word.

Chikaru found herself very nervous indeed. She wondered why - her love for Shion was pure and she knew her family to be open-minded and kind. Looking over at her girlfriend, she could see Shion was just as nervous.

"Chikaru, honey?" Minamoto Ai asked. "Are you feeling well? You've been so quiet and you seem a little pale. You've hardly touched your food. Are you feeling ill?"

Chikaru took a few deep breaths. It was now or never.

"Mom, dad," Chikaru started. "Shion and I have something important to tell you."

Shion's increased breathing next to her let her know that this was the point of no return.

"What is it, honey?" asked her father Ito.

"Shion and I... we're girlfriends."

There. It was out.

However, her parents didn't seem too phased by this.

"Yes, we know that you and Shion-san are friends already," Ito spoke. "You introduced us at Family Day back on Astraea Hill, remember?"

"No," Chikaru pressed. "We are girlfriends."

Ai raised an eyebrows. "What are you trying to say, Chikaru-chan?"

Shion and Chikaru shared on look, one encouraging smile. Shion took Chikaru's hand and squeezed it lovingly. "Mom, dad," Chikaru spoke with new-found courage. "Shion-koi and I are girlfriends. We're in love."

From the stunned expressions on her parents faces, it would take a few moments for this information to sink in.

"I..." Ai Minamoto blinked for a moment. "I... that's wonderful, Chikaru-chan. Chikaru-chan, I'm so happy that Chikaru-san has found someone to love, Chikaru-chan. I'm glad you had the courage to tell us, Chikaru-chan. I mean... it's great, Chikaru-chan."

"Mom?" Chikaru asked softly. "Why are you saying my name so often?"

"I'm not doing that, Chikaru-chan. Chikaru-chan must be confused. Don't be confused Chikaru-chan!"

Chikaru's father Ito, who had been silent until now, rose from his seat and angrily pointed at Shion. "So... You think you're good enough to date my little girl? DO YOU?"

Shion, startled by Ito's outburst, shifted her chair, only to have its legs caught behind a rug. She yelped as the chair toppled backwards and landed on the floor with a slam.

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru got up from her seat and ran to her girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

"I landed my head," Shion rubbed her scalp. "Ouchie."

Tomo and Kisho, looked at each other and giggled. "Nee-sama and Shion-san sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

**

* * *

**

Miyuki was already at the cafeteria sitting in a booth, pouring over some papers she had been asked to review for the student council when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kaori and Shizuma had entered the cafeteria as well.

She smiled, placed the papers in her bag and walked over to them. After a brief and gentle greeting, the three friends picked out their meal for the evening. As their schools were expensive and private, the Astraea Hill cafeteria offered a wide variety of delicious means, ranging from simple to elaborate, from traditional Japanese to Western. Around them, many girls were enjoying their evening meals while the three of them found their way back to their booth.

Once again, Kaori had opted for a simple meal, traditional Japanese Udon. With her special dietary constraints, Kaori's choice of food was limited. As such, many traditional Japanese meals were perfect for her.

Miyuki noticed with surprise that Shizuma had taken the same meal as Kaori had. An odd choice for her, since she knew Shizuma almost always ate western meals in the evenings.

"So, what has Miyuki-chan been up too all day?" Shizuma asked while Kaori gently sipped her bowl of green tea.

"Swamped with council work," Miyuki sighed. "We were all set on having the school ambassadorial soiree here at Miator, but Spica came up with a proposal first and the school board decided to award the honor to them."

"And I should care... why?" Shizuma smirked, making Kaori giggle slightly.

A flash of anger shot across Miyuki's face for a moment before she relaxed again. "I suppose it can't be helped. And I suppose I should be proud. It was Shion-chan who drafted the proposal. And I have to reluctantly admit that it *was* better than mine. I'll have to work harder next time."

"Student surpassing the master," Shizuma winked. Miyuki supposed it was her own fault - she had helped Shion during her first months as Spica Council Secretary with all manner of advice, after all.

"I fear I have created a monster," Miyuki smiled.

"I'm sure Shion-chan will be delighted to hear that," Shizuma grinned.

"And then there was... the unfortunate case of Suzumi Tamao," Miyuki shook her head. "Poor girl."

"What happened?" Kaori asked with some concern.

"Well, there was an odd number of students in the first year enrollments," Miyuki said. "It happens from time to time, and it means a girl will get a room to herself."

"How is that a bad thing?" Kaori asked. "I have a room all to myself."

"You are a very rare exception to the rule, Kaori-chan," Miyuki said. "In any case, Suzumi-san pulled the shortest straw and was assigned a single room. She didn't take the news well."

"What happened?" Shizuma asked.

"Suzumi-san has convinced herself that she was given a private room because no other girl wants to live with her, while in reality it was just dumb luck," Miyuki sighed. "I spent the better part of the day sitting with her at the Sister's office while she was bawling her eyes out trying to convince her otherwise. So far, I'm not having much luck. Suzumi-san is heartbroken."

"Poor thing. Why not just swap her with another girl?" Shizuma asked. "I'm sure there's lots of girls who would like a private room."

"It's against the rules," Miyuki shook her head.

"Lulim and Spica allow for girls to swap," Shizuma replied.

"Not in Miator," Miyuki said. "The rules clearly state..."

"Oh, screw the rules!" Shizuma said with intensity. "If a rule makes a girl unhappy, just break it."

"The rules are there for a reason, Shizuma!" Miyuki retorted. She groaned inwardly - Shizuma could be so reckless, and see things is such an easy manner. Didn't Shizuma realize that such matters weren't always as simple as she thought they were?

"There's nothing I can do about it," Miyuki continued. "I'm trying to get her assigned to a nice couple of third years as a room-temp but otherwise, her only hope is to wait till a transfer student in her year comes to Miator. It's just that simple."

Shizuma shook her head and muttered some expletives under her breath. "That's moronic, and you know it," she sighed.

"Maybe there's something we can do to cheer her up?" Kaori asked. "Hey, maybe she can be my room temp? I live alone and I don't often have time or energy to tidy up my room."

"I think that's a lovely idea," Shizuma crossed her arms and glared at Miyuki, challenging her to retort.

"But... Kaori-chan, you're only a second year," Miyuki sputtered. "I can't..."

"Didn't you just say Kaori-chan is a special case?" Shizuma smirked. "The rules don't really apply to her, do they?"

"But..." Miyuki sighed, knowing she had been defeated. Two against one. "Alright," she sighed. "I'll bring it up during the next council meeting."

"Well," Shizuma relied. "It turns out you're human after all, Miyuki."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miyuki narrowed her eyes.

"As for you," Shizuma winked at Kaori. "You're supposed to be our room temp, but you've never even cleaned up our room once. And now our room temp gets a room temp of our own? Unfair, says I!"

Kaori playfully raised her chin to issue a mock-challenge to Shizuma. "Special circumstances, Shizuma nee-sama."

"Yeah, likely story," Shizuma shook her head.

"I'm sure Kaori-chan has better things to do than to handle your dirty underwear, Shizuma," Miyuki said before sipping her tea.

Shizuma cocked her head sideways. "I'll have you know I change my underwear every single day. Which is more than I can say about a certain roommate I know."

"Shizuma!" Miyuki hissed. "You know perfectly well my new clothes haven't arrived from home yet! I have to make do!"

"Uh-huh," Shizuma crossed her arms and looked at Miyuki with a playful grin on her face. "Anyway, Kaori-chan, why don't you send your new room temp over to our room sometimes?"

"She's only saying that," Miyuki told Kaori. "Because she hasn't been bothering to clean anything for the past two weeks. And I'm certain that having to tidy up your piles of discarded clothes, your stacks of trashy novels and scrub out the ink stains from your desk will *really* cheer up poor Suzumi-san."

Shizuma sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll clean up myself. Tomorrow. Maybe. If I feel like it."

From the corner of her eye, Miyuki saw that Kaori was really enjoying this exchange between them. This was a good thing.

"Hey, Kaori-chan," Shizuma winked. "Why don't you... come by later tonight? As our room temp. You don't have to clean up anything, just wear the maid uniform. Just for show. And giggles. And... pictures..."

"Horny Shizuma is being horny," Miyuki snorted.

"Hey!" Shizuma protested. "I just think she'll look cute!"

Miyuki rose from her seat and slapped the top of Shizuma's head. "Pervert!"

"HEY!" Shizuma protested loudly while rubbing her scalp. The spectacle was enough to make Kaori giggle again. Soon enough, all three friends were laughing heartily enough to attract the attention of everybody in the room.

Life was good.

**

* * *

**

Chikaru sat on her bed in her room, clutching her favorite teddy bear to her chest. Her teddy bear had seen a lot of use - it was missing an eye and an ear and its fur had long since lost its shine. But that didn't matter to Chikaru. The bear had been a comfort to her so many times before - she had held it when she had fallen off her first bicycle and hurt both her knees. She had held it when she cried over the death of her beloved grandmother. She had held it when she first realized that going to Lulim meant living away from her family. And now, she held it because it everything had gone wrong.

Chaos erupted after the dinner. Tomo and Kisho were all over the place giggling, while her father was accusing Shion of stealing his daughter. Meanwhile, Chikaru's mother had gone really quiet, deep into contemplation.

Chikaru was scared. She was very scared. She had ran upstairs while Shion was being taken to the living room by her father and had been sitting there on bed ever since.

A knock on the door sounded. "Chikaru, honey?" asked her mother. "Can I come in?"

"Y-yes," Chikaru replied softly. Her mother soon came in and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, honey," she whispered when she saw her daughter sitting on the bed holding her bear.

"Mom?" Chikaru asked softly. "Do... do you think I'm... not normal?"

Minamoto Ai closed her eyes and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Oh, honey," Ai smiled softly. "No, no, no..."

"Come here," she said, opening her arms for a hug. An opportunity which Chikaru gladly took. "No, honey. I don't think you're not normal."

The sincerity in her voice made Chikaru feel a little bit more at ease. "Then why... what happened downstairs... Are you angry with me?"

"It's just a lot to take in, Chikaru-chan," replied Ai. "And even a bit of a shock. I'm not angry, not at all. It's just that... I'm worried."

"You don't have to be!" Chikaru said quickly. "We..."

"No, no, I'm not worried about you," said Ai. "I'm worried for you. We're your family, we love you. And I'm guessing you won't find those kind of prejudices at Astraea Hill. But... you see, there are people out there who will judge you harshly for being with another girl. And I hope you can deal with that."

Chikaru nodded. "I haven't really thought about it," she replied.

"Oh, Chikaru," whispered Ai. "You're so young still. Do you even know what love is? What it feels like?"

Chikaru closed her eyes. "Don't give me this, mom. I know what Shion-koi and I share is genuine and beautiful. I know I am in love with her."

Ai looked her daughter deep in the eye, and offered a smile afterward. "You do. I can tell. But... give it some time. See if you feel the same a year from now. Two years from now."

Chikaru was about to protest, but her mother put a finger to her lips. "Maybe you'll feel different in a few years, or maybe you won't. In the end, it doesn't really matter," she spoke with a soothing tone. "Just take the time you need to sort out your feelings and don't think like you have to be pressured into anything. Not by her or by us. Only you yourself can know what your feeling are."

Chikaru kept her eyes downcast. "Mom," she whispered. "Can you and dad accept me, if this is who I am?"

"Oh, honey," Ai hugged her daughter again. "You're my daughter and I'll always love you, no matter what. Your father will come around. You know how protective he can get. In fact, I should head downstairs soon to make sure he hasn't subjected Shion-san to Chinese water torture yet."

"She'll be fine," Chikaru said. "Dad is harmless."

"Frankly," Ai winked. "I'm really quite proud of you that you had the courage to tell us so quickly."

Chikaru frowned. "Wait... you *knew*?"

"I suspected," Ai smiled. "From the way you treated each other when we first met at Family Day back at Astraea Hill. And from the way you've been talking about her."

Chikaru chuckled in spite of herself. Her mother had always been perceptive, a trait which Chikaru had apparently inherited from her.

"So," said Ai. "There's some important matters left to discussed. Have you two kissed yet?"

"Mom!" Chikaru protested loudly. "That's private!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then," Ai said. "Did you like it?"

Chikaru blushed a little and answered the question with a shy nod. Everything about it was heavenly - from the soft touch of brushing lips to the electric touch of their tongues meeting.

"So, have you two... gone all the way yet?" Ai winked.

"Mom!" Chikaru was shocked. "We... we haven't... I mean, we..."

"It's okay, sweetie," Ai smiled gently. "So... would you like to? Go all the way with Shion-san, I mean?"

"Mom!" Chikaru hissed, red as a beet. "I... we... I..."

"I'll take that as a yes," Ai winked. "So, what's stopping you? Are you both shy? Have you two even talked about it?"

Chikaru blinked. Certainly, Chikaru had thought about it, but simply considered it something that would happen automatically in time when they were both ready. That is not to say, however, that the thought of making love to Shion wasn't an enticing one.

"Well, if you want to, I fear you'll have to take the initiative. She's a nice girl, but she seems a bit stuffy," Ai replied thoughtfully. "Then again, the stuffiest prim and proper persons often have the dirtiest minds. She could very well be a tiger in bed."

"M-mom!" Chikaru blushed again.

"Trust me, Chikaru-chan," Ai smiled softly. "Two women making love is quite different than a man and a woman making love. Both are good, but not in the same way."

"M-m-m-mom?" Chikaru questioned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Ai said, putting her finger to her lips. "Before I met your father, I experimented a lot, you see? Hey, I know, I could give you some tips if you like. I know some things you can use to really make Shion-san melt like butter and swoon in your arms!"

Chikaru's mouth moved up and down as if she were a goldfish. And right now, poor Chikaru wanted to be everywhere on the planet but here.

"Really," Ai continued relentlessly. "It's all in how you flick the tongue and twist the fingers, sweetie. Here's what you do..."

Chikaru had been a horror fan all her life. For many years, she had read books, seen movies, played games, all subject of horror ranging from psychological torture and visceral gore to the bizarre and the twisted nightmares of Eldritch Creatures lurking on the edge of sanity. But none of those many experiences could have ever prepared her for the ultimate, terrifyingly evil horror of all:

Sex tips from mom!

**

* * *

**

Shion felt as if she was the subject of a police interrogation. She sat in the middle of the living room with two of the lights shining in her face as Chikaru's father was pacing around the chair she was sitting in without saying a word.

Ito was a kind man under normal circumstances, but in this situation Shion had to admit she was rather frightened by him.

"Right," Ito said. "So, you are dating my little girl, hm?"

Shion nodded. "That is correct, sir."

"I have several questions I wish to ask you, and you must answer truthfully," he spoke. "I'll know if you are lying! I am a labor dispute councilor, and I know how to read people to a fault!"

Shion gulped. "I will not lie, sir."

"First of all," Ito spoke. "Do you have other girlfriends besides Chikaru?"

Shion narrowed her eyes. "Certainly not!" she said angrily. "And I resent the implication!"

Ito seemed satisfied. "I'm sorry, but I just had to know."

Shion nodded, but wasn't feeling any less furious.

"Second question," Ito replied. "Did you sleep with my little girl?"

The Spican girl blushed. "I... I...!" Shion protested. "We do... sleep in the same bed... sometimes... but we... we only hug. And kiss. But mostly hug. Nothing more than that."

The answer seemed to satisfy Ito. "That's good," he said. "Because my Chikaru is far too young for that sort of thing. Another question."

Shion nodded as Ito stood in front of her and looked her in the eye. "Do you have... sexual desires towards my Chikaru?"

The blonde Spican gasped. Sexual desires? Shion closed her eyes. Yes. Yes, she did have sexual desires towards Chikaru. She was only human, after all. And a hormone filled teenager. In fact, when she was alone, late at night, she would often fantasize about lying Chikaru on her bed, undressing her, kissing her, caressing her nude body, making loving to her. She often wondered when they would or should take the next step up from hugging in bed.

Shion didn't answer the question. Instead, she blushed and looked away. She decided that she really wanted to be somewhere else right now. Maybe Jamaica. Or the North Pole.

"Aha!" Ito narrowed his eyes. "Well, you can forget about it! My Chikaru is not going to sleep with anyone until she's at least 30! And I will not run the risk of Chikaru being saddled with a teenage pregnancy which will ruin her life!"

Shion blinked. "Uhm, excuse me? Pregnancy? How will Chikaru and I go about to achieve that?"

"Uh, sorry, I made this speech for a boyfriend," Ito buried his head in his palm. "It's kinda hard to change a speech I've practiced about 200 times in my head in preparation for this day."

He turned off the lights and sat down on the couch. "God, what have I just done? I've been behaving like a complete ogre, haven't I?"

Shion bit her lip. "Sir, I didn't want to put it to so many words, but... you asked some very humiliating questions to me."

Ito closed his eyes and groaned a little. "I got carried away here. I hope you can forgive me for it. I'm very sorry, I'm just... so worried about my little girl. You can understand that, can't you?"

Shion nodded slightly.

"It's just that," Ito sighed. "One moment, my little girl is bouncing around on my knee, giggling. The next, she's off to a private school and falling in love. It's... a lot to deal with all of a sudden. I need some time to wrap my head around the idea that my Chikaru is romantically involved with someone."

Shion saw the love and worry in his eyes. This man worried for his daughter in a way Shion had never seen in her own parents. "It's not you," Ito continued. "And it's not because you're both girls. That's a non-issue here. It's just... this whole situation."

And that was it, really. Ito was worried about his daughter and said so on numerous occasions, but he never spoke a word of protest against the fact that his daughter was in love with another girl. In Shion's eyes, Chikaru's father was worthy of respect for this very reason.

"I understand," Shion nodded. "And I can completely understand your reasoning."

"You're nice girl," he said. "Nicer than I expected a Toumori to be. I've been butting heads with members of your family for over a decade."

Shion chuckled. "I guess I'm not like my family, then. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"I judge people as individuals," Ito spoke. "You seem alright to me."

"Thank you," Shion replied.

"Just don't break her heart," Ito said.

"I promise," Shion said sincerely. "I will never break her heart."

Ito chuckled for a moment and looked Shion in the eye. "How about we start over?" he said, extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Okabe Ito. Chikaru-chan's father. Pleased to meet you."

"Toumori Shion," Shion nodded and shook Ito's hand. "That is correct, sir. Pleased to meet you as well."

"So, tell me how you and Chikaru-chan first met," he asked.

"Well, that's a funny story, actually," Shion started off. "You see, I had just arrived at the school grounds and decided to take a brief walk through the forest..."

**

* * *

**

Later that evening, the girls had retired to Chikaru's room for the night. After brushing her teeth, Shion had changed into her night clothing and got into the futon. Chikaru was already in her own bed, and watched Shion.

"Well, that... wasn't so bad, was it?" Chikaru smiled softly.

"You weren't the one who had to endure your dad's speech," Shion chuckled.

"It'll get better once he gets used to the idea," Chikaru replied. "He can just get a bit... overprotective at times. And it's lot for them to take in."

"I agreed," Shion replied. "He was nice about it, though. What about you? You looked so pale and traumatized after your chat with your mother."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Chikaru called back in a painful croak of a voice.

"Are you sure?" asked Shion with some concern.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Chikaru hissed and rolled on her bed while rubbing her temples. "Dear god, I need a memory enema."

"Was she okay about... us?"

"You could say that," Chikaru nodded. "If anything, she was a little *too* okay about us. But let's talk about something more pressing."

"Such as?"

"Shion-koi," Chikaru spoke in a sultry voice. "Why are you in that futon on the floor when you could be in my bed with me?"

Shion looked at Chikaru. "I don't know," she replied thoughtfully. "It's a very small bed. We'd be very close."

"Shut up, get in bed and hold me," Chikaru grinned.

Just as Shion was about to climb into bed and Chikaru's arms, there was loud thumping noise coming from the floor. Or rather, the living room beneath said floor.

"That's dad with the broomstick," sighed Chikaru.

"_Shion-san_!" sounded the muffled voice of Chikaru's dad from downstairs. "_Return to your own futon kudasai_!"

Chikaru shot Shion an apologetic smile. Shion groaned and got back into her futon.

"Well," Chikaru smiled. "He didn't say I couldn't join you in the futon, now did he?"

Shion grinned and waited for Chikaru to join her. Unfortunately, the same thumping noise could be heard again.

"_Chikaru-chan_!" sounded her father. "_Get back into your own bed kudasai_!"

Chikaru grumbled and returned to her own bed. Unfortunately, they had forgotten something very important. "Shion-koi, we haven't shared a goodnight kiss yet," Chikaru said.

"Let's remedy that," Shion said softly as the both of them got up from their beds for a hug and a kiss. Unfortunately, that damn broomstick got in the way once more.

"_Girls_," Ito called up again. "_At least 1 meter apart from each other at all times, kudasai_!"

Chikaru growled slightly as she rolled back into bed. "I'll have a little chat with dad in the morning. He needs to know I get cranky without a kiss before bed," she replied.

"I'd like to do something about that, but I don't have telescopic lips," Shion laughed in spite of herself.

"Ah, don't worry. He'll get used to it."

And then the broom started again.

"_Girls, no talking about kissing. Got to sleep kudasai_!"

"Is he going to keep this up all night?" Shion groaned.

"Probably, yes. Don't worry. It'll get better. Dad can just get a bit… overprotective," Chikaru smiled.

"I've noticed," Shion replied.

Suddenly, a loud yelp could be heard from downstairs, followed by a thud.

"Hm," Shion frowned. "I wonder what that was."

"If I were to hazard a guess," Chikaru bit her finger. "That would be mom discovering the broom marks in the ceiling and, uh, explaining to dad why he shouldn't do that anymore."

"So..." Shion bit her lip. "No more broomstick from Hell then."

"That's right," Chikaru's eyes lit up. "No more broomstick from Hell!"

The girls giggled briefly as Chikaru left her bed and crawled into the futon with Shion. The first thing the girls did was to share a loving kiss.

"Goodnight, Chikaru-chan," Shion smiled while running a hand through Chikaru's raven locks.

"Goodnight, Shion-koi," said Chikaru while tickling Shion's belly button.

Soon enough, the two girlfriends drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

**

* * *

**

Next time, Kaori and Shizuma relationship deepen, while Chikaru and Shion return to the school grounds and get involved in the dangers of school politics.

Also, the passage which Shizuma read is from Call of Cthulhu, the story. Feel free to look it up on the internet as it's A) very good and B) public domain.


	10. Chapter 10 : Bento Banalities

Hey all,

I wanted to spend some time with Opposites before continuing with Strawberry Weddings. It felt good to write a nice old-fashioned comedy of errors. Hope you like it.

* * *

**Opposites**

Chapter 10 - Bento Banalities

Chikaru paced back and forth in front of the dorm. The section of the dorm she was in was usually reserved for meetings, gatherings and official receptions, and was even sometimes used to host parties. Most of the time, however, this was the place were the student councils of all three schools would meet, as this was neutral territory. Emotions often ran as high due to the rivalry between schools and holding the meetings on neutral grounds would deny any one school council any sense of superiority based on location.

However, Chikaru was getting a bit bored, as the meeting had been due to end an half hour ago. Still, she couldn't fault anyone for it. Today was Shion's first time as a student councilor and thus a very big day for her. Shion had been excited about it all week and was almost jittery when the meeting was about to begin.

After all this was her girlfriend's big day, so she had no right to complain. Fortunately, it was Friday and all her classes has already ended. The weekend was on her doorstep, so she decided not to complain about some extra waiting.

Suddenly, just as Chikaru was about to start another round of pacing, the doors to the meeting room flew open. Out stormed Miyuki, tense and red-faced. The stately Miator student didn't acknowledge Chikaru's presence, simply brushed past her to the door and sped out of the building.

Chikaru scratched her head, wondering what was going on. It was obvious that Miyuki was not happy with the way the meeting had gone, so she figured it hadn't gone in Miator's favor. The next person to exit the meeting room was Makoto, the sixth year student-council president for Lulim. Makoto was one of the nicest persons Chikaru had ever met, was very popular among Lulim student as she knew most of them by name and was always ready to help one of her little Lulim sisters. Unfortunately, as good as Makoto was with students, she was not a very good representative for Lulim. At least, not according to Miyuki, who had described her as 'weak-willed', 'too meek' and 'a wallflower during meetings'.

Be that as it may, Chikaru was only too happy to see her.

"Ah, Chikaru-chan," said Makoto. "Waiting for your girlfriend?"

"Hello Makoto-sempai," Chikaru nodded in respect. "Yes. Is Shion-chan still inside?"

"Yes, she's probably going over the minutes with Nao-chan," Makoto said, referring to the current Spica council president. "I gotta say, Shion-san is... intense. Once she got started, there was no stopping her. She verbally wiped the floor Rokujou-san, I've never seen anything like it!"

Chikaru blinked. "Shion-chan... did that?"

"Hell yes," Makoto chuckled. "It was fantastic! She defended Spica like a lion. And, just between you and me, it was priceless to see Toumori-san wipe the smirk of that arrogant girl-child's face for a change. I just hope that I'll never be on the receiving end of such a tonguelashing. It was incredible."

"Wow," Chikaru said. "She was so nervous at the start of the meeting I practically had to push her into the room."

"Well, she came to life," said Makoto. "Mind you, girls with a passion like that are usually complete tigers in the sack. You're a very lucky girl, Chikaru-chan."

Immediately, all blood in Chikaru's body shot towards her cheeks. "I, uh, we, uh, haven't done anything like that."

"Not yet..." Makoto winked, put her hands on her shoulders and kissed her on top of the head. "She should be out soon, have fun..."

Chikaru gulped slightly after Makoto had left. She was nice, easy-going, but also quite perverted. And the rumors of secret trysts between her and Spica student council president Ozawa Nao were quite persistent. But there was no time to dwell on that, especially after Shion emerged from the meeting room.

"Chikaru-chan," she smiled. The two girlfriends embraced. "It was great! You were right, I was worried about nothing."

"I saw Miyuki-chan rush past," Chikaru said. "Makoto-sempai said you did quite a number on her."

Shion nodded. "It was necessary."

"Whatever happened to the spirit of inter-school cooperation you and Miyuki-chan wanted to promote?" Chikaru said with an edge of humor on her voice.

Shion thought for a moment. "Well, yes. Cooperation is one thing, but I won't stand by and let Miator walk all over us. Cooperation does not mean subjugation."

Chikaru released Shion and held up a pick-nick basket. "Tell me all about it over a sandwich?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Shion said. "I had no idea we'd run late."

"No worries," said Chikaru. "We have plenty of time."

* * *

Shizuma looked up from her book when Miyuki stormed into their room. The stately silver-haired beauty, dressed in a casual pair of jeans and t-shirt lay on her back on her bed and watched as Miyuki locked the door and let out a brief silent scream of extreme frustration.

Miyuki threw herself on her bed and punched her pillow a couple of times before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Shizuma, putting down her book. "Who shoved that cactus up your backside?"

"Toumori Shion," Miyuki practically snarled.

"Shion-chan?" Shizuma frowned. "What did she do?"

"She completely and utterly unreasonably blew up at me during the council meeting today and started a full blown attack on my proposal for the setup of this year's inter-school play. It was a perfect plan - Miator would provide the actors, Lulim would provide the costumes and sets, while Spica would have the job of making sure the production runs smoothly by facilitating the play with backstage necessities. It's a far better role division than our usual scattering about of students from all three schools *and* a more efficient plan. Why couldn't she have seen that?"

Shizuma thought for a moment. "Translation of all that drivel: Miator gets all the glory, Lulim gets a few crumbs and Spica gets to do the crappy jobs nobody else wants to do."

Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "That's not what I meant... The tasks to be done backstage are vital to the entire production. Spica should be honored to have that role."

"Well," Shizuma said. "In that case, if it's such an honorable role, you wouldn't mind if Spica would supply the actors and Miator would do all the backstage stuff, right?"

"What? NO!" Miyuki retorted. "That would be preposterous!"

Shizuma chuckled and shook her head. "Sounds like Shion-chan was right to tell you off, then."

Miyuki sighed and lay on her back to stare at the ceiling. "Oh, you just don't understand, Shizuma. The pride of Miator is at stake..."

"I don't want to understand," Shizuma interrupted. "School politics suck. And you suck for letting yourself get swept up in it."

Miyuki grumbled at the lack of Shizuma's school spirit, but frowned when she looked at Shizuma. "Why's your hair damp? Strange time to take a shower."

"Well," Shizuma rolled to her side to look at Miyuki. "I didn't have any classes this afternoon, so... I paid a visit to Nori-chan at the pool."

"Hamakaza Nori?" Miyuki said. "The captain of the Spica swim team?"

"Correct," Shizuma winked. "We had the whole pool to ourselves, so she was kind enough to give me a private swimming lesson. A *very* private swimming lesson."

"Oh, dear lord," Miyuki groaned.

"We started off with a gentle yet intimate breaststroke and continued on to an impossibly soft backstroke. After that, we finished it off with a fast, passionate butterfly stroke. It was very intense."

Miyuki stared at Shizuma for a moment. "You're perverted," Miyuki concluded.

Shizuma laughed for a moment. "Hey, prude, get a girlfriend already. Get stupendously laid on a regular basis. You'll be less high strung. Remember how relaxed and easygoing you were after Gudrun? You need more sex. Lots more sex."

"Speaking of girlfriends," said Miyuki, ignoring the jab about Gudrun. "You've not been boring me with tales of your erotic exploits as of late. And some of your girlfriends have been complaining that you've been giving them far too little attention."

"Well, quality over quantity," Shizuma grinned. "Besides, Kaori has been taking up a fair chunk of my time. The garden club is hard work, but I'm learning a lot."

"Yes," Miyuki said. "You seem to be spending a lot of time with Kaori-chan lately."

"She's a great girl worthy of my attention," Shizuma proclaimed. "I like spending time with her. The only reason I'm not with her right now is because she still has classes for two more hours. She's the most... alive girl I've ever met. Yes, that's the word. Alive. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose it does."

Miyuki was slowly starting to calm down and tried not to think back to the tirade that Shion had directed towards her. "So," asked Miyuki. "What do you want to eat today?"

"Simple meal, I think," Shizuma shrugged. "I'll have a curry again."

"Oh, no you won't!" Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "The one you had last evening has a half-life of 75 years! And it led to quite a bit of unladylike behavior in your sleep last night."

"Argh, I can't stand you when you get like this!" Shizuma rose from her bed and made a grab for her book. "I'm going to take my book and I am going to put as much distance between you and me as possible for the rest of the day."

"Shizuma!" Miyuki called after her. "You can't go out like that! You have to be in school uniform until the school day officially ends at 17.00 hours!"

"I know. Bye."

Much to Miyuki's dismay, Shizuma flipped her off while walking out the door.

* * *

Kaori took her breath from her inhaler and was relieved to feel her airways clear immediately. She was short of breath and tired, but she still had to find Chikaru.

By asking around Lulim, she had learned that Chikaru had gone out with Shion for the rest of the day. Kaori had already covered the usual places were couples gathered, but hadn't had much luck so far.

Finally, she did have a stroke of luck. After disturbing one couple at the stables, she walked backwards while profusely apologizing. When she turned around, she saw that there, behind the stables, were Chikaru and Shion. To be precise, Chikaru and Shion lay on a pick nick rug. Having shoved aside the remainder of the food, the two girlfriends were embraced and liplocked. Their kissing continued unabated, Kaori not having been noticed at all.

Kaori, in the meantime, was unsure what to do. While she needed Chikaru's help, she didn't want to disturb her and Shion. The choice was made for her when Shion opened her eyes during their kiss and locked gaze with Kaori.

A gasp followed as the two lovers pushed each other way. "W-w-we weren't doing anything! We were... we were..."

"Kissing?" Chikaru giggled.

"Uh, yes, that," Shion sighed.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you," Kaori started. "I just wanted you help and... oh, this seems to silly now. I'm sorry I even brought it up. I should go."

"Wait," said Chikaru as she and Shion slowly got to their feet. "Now, there's obviously a reason why you come looking for me."

"Here, sit down," Shion said and motioned to the pick nick rug. "You look exhausted."

Kaori smiled gently and did so, being careful to avoid Shion. Though the blonde Spican was kind, there was an air of frustration around her at having her intimacy disturbed. "I... You know that Shizuma-nee and I have spent a lot of time together, right?"

"That much is obvious," Chikaru put a hand on Kaori's shoulder.

"I really want to thank her. I was thinking of making a bento for her," said Kaori. "I just have no idea what Shizuma-nee actually likes and I was hoping you can tell me."

Shion bit her lip. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea what Shizuma-san tastes are like when it comes to food."

Chikaru and Shion shared a brief smile. "Kaori-chan," Chikaru said. "Just make whatever you want to. I'm sure Shizuma-chan will ll love it because it'll be made my you."

"No, no, no," said Kaori. "I want it to be perfect. Just... spending time with her is a gift to me and I want to show my appreciation. And I wanted to do it today. I actually lied to Shizuma-nee and told her I still had classes so I had time to prepare it. But I already spent half of the time on finding out what she likes."

"Chin up, Kaori-chan," Chikaru said to the crestfallen girl. "I might have an idea."

* * *

"Okay, there she is," Chikaru whispered to Shion and Kaori as they hid in the bushes. About twenty meters away, Shizuma sat reading a book on a small bench next to a path leading into the forest. It had been easy to find her - this one of the spots were few girls ever came and Shizuma had confided in Chikaru that she often came there to read to seek some quiet time. In fact, Shizuma never even brought dates to this place. It was her very own secret spot.

"What are you going to do?" Shion asked.

"Just watch," Chikaru smiled and walked out into the open, holding a clipboard she had taken from Lulim on the way here. As Chikaru emerged on the path, Shizuma looked up from her book and instinctively hid it behind her back. When she saw it was Chikaru, she visibly relaxed and took out her book again.

"Chikaru!" Shizuma said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Hello Shizuma-chan," Chikaru greeted. "I was looking for you."

"Many girls look for me," Shizuma grinned. "Few girls find me. What can I do for you?"

"Is that..."

"IT," said Shizuma, the title of the book she was reading. "Re-reading IT. Good book. Miyuki hates it. Another reason for me to like it."

"Do you have time for a survey?" Chikaru asked. "It would really help me out."

Shizuma frowned. "Now, you know what I think of surveys..."

"It'll only take a moment," Chikaru said. "We're interviewing people for the Lulim schoolpaper. All answers are anonymous and confidential and you'd really help me out. Once we have all the interviews, we'll throw all the answers together, try to overanalyze it as much as possible and come to wild nonsensical conclusions."

Shizuma bit her lip. "Alright," she said. "But only because it's you. If anyone else had asked..."

"Great!" Chikaru said and took out the clipboard. "Okay, here come the questions."

"Shoot."

"Lip-gloss or eyeshadow?"

"Eyeshadow," Shizuma replied.

"Your stance on Japan's whaling policy."

"International embarrassment. We should stop making fools of ourselves by grinding whales into catfood."

"Best movie you've seen in the last decade."

"Do really old movies count but which I only saw for the first time recently?"

"They do."

"Promise this is anonymous?"

"Absolutely."

"Dawn of the Dead."

Chikaru nodded. "I quite agree."

"Strawberries or blueberries?"

"Strawberries," Shizuma nodded.

"Tokyo or Kyoto?"

"Hm..." Shizuma thought for a moment. "Kyoto."

"Favorite non Japanese city?"

"London and Vienna. Can't decide."

"How do you best like your bento?" Chikaru asked. Back from behind the bushes, Kaori and Shion held their breath.

"Hm, that's a tough one," Shizuma thought. "Well, I think I prefer a simple bento. None of that horrible food-art stuff. Just something basic and tasty. Rice, tuna, shrimp, some salted salmon. The simplest bentos are the tastiest."

"Righto," Chikaru smiled. "Favorite writer?"

"H.P. Lovecraft."

"Best way to celebrate the end of the week on a Friday evening?" Chikaru asked.

A smirk crossed Shizuma's gentle features. "I'd tell you, but... I doubt your school paper is X-rated."

* * *

Once they had gotten the information, the three girls rushed over to the Lulim school building where a myriad of girls were enjoying their school's after-class club life. As the cooking club was not in session, Chikaru found the school's large kitchen to be completely empty. It was specially designed kitchen for cooking classes, meaning there was a plethora of stoves, the most modern of cutlery and a fully stocked larder in the back which was almost as big as the kitchen itself.

"Alright," Chikaru said after checking the larder. "It looks like we have plenty of ingredients to work with. We can make a simple yet tasty bento. I'll get you set up so you can do most of the work."

"We can't help?" Shion frowned.

"I want to make it myself," Kaori smiled. "For Shizuma-nee."

Shion nodded. "Ah, I see."

"We'll help with the logistical part," Chikaru said. "Here's some cutlery and I'll make ready some salt for you to dip the tuna and salmon slices in."

Kaori suddenly seemed crestfallen as she looked at the clock. "Oh, no, it's too late," Kaori said with sadness in her voice. "It's quarter to six. Shizuma-nee always goes to eat at that time as regular as clockwork."

Chikaru thought for a moment. "We'll just have to pick up the pace," said Chikaru as she started gathering the ingredients in record time. "We've always got some rice ready to be used right away. Kaori-chan, please get the salmon and tuna from the fridge so we can cut them."

"Hai!" Kaori saluted and rushed to the fridge.

"What can I do?" Shion asked.

"Shion-chan," Chikaru putting her hands on Shion's shoulders. "You will have the single most important task of all. You need to rush over to the cafeteria and make sure Shizuma-chan doesn't eat!"

"Uh," Shion stammered. "How am supposed to do that?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Chikaru said and kissed Shion on the lips. "I know you can do it."

Invigorated by the kiss, Shion nodded steadily. "I will not fail!"

That said, Shion rushed out the door while Chikaru and Kaori continued to work at record pace. "It won't last," Kaori said. "I'm sure Shion-san will do her best, but Shizuma-nee... she's not someone who's easily stalled."

"I know. But trust me, Shion-chan is equally stubborn," Chikaru gave her an encouraging smile. "But the good thing about simple bento's is that they are easy and quick to make."

Kaori quickly sliced the cucumber and laid out a sheet of seaweed to roll the bento's maki, while Chikaru gathered up the bits of tune Kaori had salted and put it in one of the school's wooden bento boxes. Other things, like the soy sauce and wasabi, were easily gathered and put into the bento as well.

They were working very efficiently and it looked that they would be able to finish the bento in time, when Kaori suddenly wheezed slightly and had to stop what she was doing for a moment. She held the kitchen counter to steady herself and tried to take a few calm breaths to keep from hyperventilating.

"Kaori-chan!" Chikaru said with some concern. "Are you alright?"

Kaori nodded and tried to smile. It was a brave face, as Chikaru could easily see the grimace of pain Kaori was trying to mask. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"No, you're not fine," Chikaru said gently. "And I am worried."

"Please don't be," Kaori said. "I... I don't want to be pitied. People always pity me. Saying 'oh, that poor little sick girl' and things like that. I already know I'm not going to live very long, in fact many doctors think it's a miracle I'm still alive. But this disease, this condition, that's not who I am. I'm Kaori. That's who I am."

Chikaru smiled and embraced the girl briefly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to let you know that you can be honest to me." She could see now - the pain Kaori was in was constant, always present and though Kaori had learned to live with it, she had never gotten used to people treating her like a precious porcelain doll because of it.

"It's okay," Kaori said.

"Is that why you came to Astraea Hill?" Chikaru asked. "To get away from that?"

"Partly," Kaori said. "I miss my mother terribly, but there are so many things I still want to experience. Simple things like going to school, making friends, maybe even falling in love. But I'm not holding my hopes up for that last one."

"Don't be too sure," Chikaru muttered under her breath.

"Hm?" Kaori asked. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I was just wondering. Is that why you like Shizuma-chan so much?"

Kaori smiled briefly. "Shizuma-nee is honest. She doesn't pity me, makes time for me and treats me like a person. I've... never met anyone like her before. Shizuma-nee doesn't realize what a special person she is."

"Ah, well, if you're feeling better, maybe we should get back to work on that bento before Shion-chan gets back here with Shizuma-chan, hm?"

"Oh, right!"

* * *

Shizuma had just stepped into the cafeteria and, after having exchanged greeting with girls ranging from classmates to adoring fans, stepped over to the food court. As usual, there was a wide selection of meals to choose from, both western and traditional Japanese. Astraea Hill was a school for the wealthy, and thus employed 5-star chefs at its cafeteria That meant all meals were always delicious - unfortunately, because all meals were always delicious, it was only that much harder to choose.

The curry was looking nice and, if Miyuki was right and it did cause her to perform 'unladylike behavior' in her sleep, it was an alluring prospect to gas Miyuki was a second night in a row. Then again, her eyes were drawn to the spaghetti bolognese prepared with traditional imported Italian spices. Fitting with the Mediterranean theme which was apparently going, there was lovely Spanish Paella and tomato bruschetta.

Shizuma sighed. She just couldn't decide. Everything looked so good and she was too hungry to pick something right off the bat. All she knew is that she wanted to spend some time with Kaori later this evening so anything with union in it would be out of the question.

She was about to close her eyes and let her finger wag randomly to let fate decide what she was going to eat, when she felt something bump into her. Thinking it was one of her adoring fans glomping her, she was about to give an angry tonguelashing when she noticed it was, in fact, Shion.

The Spican student, snappily dressed in her uniform as always, panted heavily. "I... I... I... found you."

"Shion, is something wrong?" Shizuma asked.

"I just... ran... from Lulim... to the Dorms..." Shion panted.

"But why?"

"I... I... I... can't tell you," Shion wheezed.

Shizuma shook her head. "Well, alright then. Have seat, pick a meal and join me for dinner. You can tell me all about how you upstaged Miyuki. Or better yet, pick a meal for both of us, I just can't decide."

"NO! NO! NO!" Shion still panted. "You can't eat! You can't! DON'T EAT!"

Shizuma blinked. "Uh, what?"

"It is absolutely vital that you come with me right away!" Shion wailed. "Right now!"

"Look, I don't know what wrong with you, but can't it wait?" Shizuma asked. "I mean, I skipped lunch today and I'm really getting a mite peckish."

"Skipped lunch?" Shion asked.

"Well," Shizuma chuckled. "You could say I had the captain of your swim team for lunch this afternoon. It was invigorating, but not very nutritious."

"Please, come with me right away!" Shion tried again.

"No!" Shizuma crossed her arms. "I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me exactly what the hell is going on."

"It's because K..." Shion caught her tongue before she could spill the beans. Still, it was frustrating - Shizuma would come with her immediately if she told her the truth, but that would ruin the surprise. And looking at the expression on Shizuma's face, she simply wouldn't budge for any other reason. In desperation, she came up with a hideously stupid plan which she was sure wouldn't work.

"It's because... I love you!"

Shizuma blinked. "What?"

"It's true, I'm completely and utterly madly in love with you and I need to discuss this with you at the Lulim cooking club very quickly!" Shion said, hoping she sounded convincing.

"No you don't," Shizuma scoffed. "You love Chikaru."

"I... I..."

Shizuma sighed and lay a hand on Shion's shoulder. "Just... calm down, take a seat and have dinner with me. You obviously have something urgent on your mind. We'll talk all about it."

Shion just couldn't take it anymore. The Spican grabbed Shizuma's wrist, took it in a vicelike grip and yanked Shizuma along. The older girl yelped as she tray fell to the ground and she was pulled out of the cafeteria and the Dorms. Naturally, Shizuma resisted and kept trying to break free as she was pulled along into the forest towards the Lulim building.

Shion was quick and nimble, as a track & field specialist should be, but Shizuma was stronger and larger so finally managed to break free from Shion's grip. The two girls tumbled onto the dirtpath and lay there panting for a moment.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Shizuma narrowed her eyes.

Shion panted heavily as her energy was completely drained, from her first run to the cafeteria and the second run where she had to fight to keep a resisting Shizuma from escaping. She really saw no other option than to just tell the truth now.

"I... Get... you... Kaori..."

"Kaori?" Shizuma said. "What... what about Kaori? Did something happen to her?"

Panic was evident in Shizuma's voice. Shion tried to explain that nothing bad had happened to Kaori, but her lack of breath didn't make the words come out right. "Kaori... she... waits... Lulim... Cooking... Club... She..."

"What are you doing on the ground?" Shizuma shouted and grabbed Shion by the wrist. "Come on, let's get moving!"

She yelped as Shizuma took off running as fast as she could towards the Lulim school building, dragging the horribly exhausted Shion along with her.

* * *

"KAORI! KAORI!"

Shizuma rushed into the Lulim kitchen, dragging a panting Shion behind her. As Shizuma skidded to a halt, Shion tumbled to the floor next to her completely and utterly exhausted.

Kaori looked up with a puzzled expression. She and Shizuma locked eyes, and immediately an intense relief washed over Shizuma.

"I'm... dying..." panted Shion.

Chikaru brushed past Kaori and trotted over to Shion to help prop her up and offer her a glass of water. As Shion let the water slide down her throat, Shizuma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"You said something was wrong with Kaori!" Shizuma aimed accusingly at Shion

The blonde Spican held up her hands in defense. "I never... said that! That was... your own... conclusion!" she retorted in between breaths.

While Shizuma stared angrily at Shion, it was Chikaru who decided to take action. "Forgive us for the deception," she said. "But we had a good reason for it. Kaori-chan?"

Kaori shyly shuffled forward, holding the wooden bento box in front of her. She blushed as she looked up at a slightly puzzled Shizuma. "Shizuma-nee," Kaori started. "Please don't be angry at Chikaru-chan and Shion-san. They've helped me with making this present for you."

"A present?" Shizuma frowned.

"I wanted to thank you for spending so much time with me, even though you didn't have to," Kaori smiled. "So I wanted to give you this to show my appreciation."

Shizuma took the box and opened it. "Ooh," she smiled broadly when she saw the contents of the bento.

"I made it myself!" Kaori beamed proudly. "Uh, with a little help."

"Why didn't two just say so?" Shizuma directed at Chikaru and Shion. "Instead of going around yelling 'don't eat' or pretending to hold surveys?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Chikaru smiled.

"I have the weirdest friends," Shizuma smiled to herself.

"Do you like it?" Kaori asked carefully.

Shizuma gently kissed Kaori's forehead after brushing some hair aside. "This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you so much."

The four friends gathered themselves and gathered around one of the tables in the room next to the Lulim kitchen, where Shizuma dug into her bento. She gently captured a piece of salted salmon with her chopsticks and brought it too her mouth. "Hmmm, delicious," Shizuma closed her eyes while enjoying the food. "Here," she said, and held out a piece of maki in front of Kaori.

"Oh, no, it's for you," Kaori said.

"It's fine," Shizuma said. "It's only right that you have a taste of your own handiwork."

Kaori nodded and opened her mouth. Shizuma lay the maki on her tongue with her chopsticks. The girl chewed on the maki and agreed that it indeed taste wonderful.

"Oh," Shizuma said. "You two haven't had anything to eat yet. Should we go to the cafeteria?"

"No," Chikaru said. "If Shion-chan doesn't mind, a few girls held a Friday night pizza fry-up today and there's still some in the fridge. We could warm those up in the microwave."

"Sounds fine to me," Shion shrugged. "Oh, thank god it's weekend."

Just then, a visitor arrived. The room they were using was a public place, where volunteers from all three schools could sit down to enjoy the many culinary experiments created by the Lulim students... with varying results, of course. The visitor in question was none other than Miyuki, in full Miator regalia, who crossed her arms and sighed at the spectacle.

"Well," said Miyuki. "First I hear about a ruckus in the cafeteria, then it took me ages to track you down."

"I can't have been hard to find," Shizuma said. "You know as well as I that if I had had a choice in the matter, I would have been a Lulim student."

"That would have been a waste of your talents."

Chikaru scraped her throat. "Excuse me. Lulim student in the room."

"No offense to you personally, Chikaru-chan," Miyuki bowed in apology. "It's just that... Shizuma is better off in a more disciplined school so that she can develop her talents better."

Shizuma stuck out her tongue at Miyuki in response.

"I think Shizuma-chan would have been an excellent student at Lulim," Chikaru said a little forcefully. It wasn't the first time Miyuki had talked down on Lulim, intentionally or not.

"Thank you," Shizuma nodded at Chikaru in an overly exaggerated way, following it up with a smirk aimed at Miyuki.

It was then that Shion and Miyuki locked eyes. There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, which Shion first broke. "I hope you realize that our altercation during the meeting was just politics and not a personal attack."

"Of course I do. Just politics," Miyuki nodded slowly.

For Chikaru, the amiable exchange of apology seemed like a farce. It was easy to see that something had fundamentally changed between Shion and Miyuki's relationship. A shift from friendship to rivalry.

It was obvious that Shion had caused Miyuki some considerable embarrassment, for which Shion would certainly pay the price at a later date.

Politics indeed.

"Did it suddenly get very cold in here?" Shizuma said while looking at Chikaru, which meant that she had seen it as well.

"Well, well, well," said Miyuki as she ignored Shion and sat down next to Shizuma. "It's Saturday evening and A) Shizuma's on school grounds, B) she's not tipsy and C) she doesn't smell like another girl's cheap perfume."

"I love you too, Miyuki," Shizuma grinned and wrapped an arm around Kaori's shoulders. "As a matter of fact, I'm not really in the mood to hit the town tonight. I think I'd rather stay here the rest of the evening. If that's okay with you, Chikaru."

"Of course, all are welcome here," said Chikaru. "We just need something to do. Oh, I know! We could play Lulim Poker!"

"Lulim poker?" Shizuma blinked.

"Surely you know that gambling is forbidden on school grounds," Miyuki stated.

"Oh, *shut* up, Miyuki," Shizuma groaned. "Tell me more about this Lulim Poker."

Chikaru rushed off and came back with a wild variety of objects. A deck of cards, of course, but also a chessboard, several chess pieces, a set of candles and a variety of stuffed animals both red and black.

"What is all this?" asked Shizuma as Chikaru set up a chessboard with only the black and white queen, bishops and rooks. There were eight candles in total and the stuffed animals were put into a container beneath the table.

"This is Lulim Poker," Chikaru said. "The original game very boring, so we made adjustments to make it more fun. We divide up into two teams and play against each other. Now, if you have a winning hand, you get to move any piece on the chessboard that is not the queen. The object is to capture the queen of the opposite team. When you do, you can light a candle and reset the chessboard. The first team who has all four candles lit wins the game."

"Okay," Miyuki frowned. "So why the animals?"

"I was getting to that," Miyuki said. "If your hand is any form of pairs or three of the kind, you get to make one move on the chessboard. If it's a straight or a flush or a full house, you can make three movies on the board. If your hand is a royal flush, four of a kind or a straight flush, you may pick a stuffed animal from the basket under the table. Now, if that stuffed animal is the color of your team, you may move any chesspiece other than the queen to any location on the board you want. If the animal had the color of the opposite team, you may move any piece that is not the queen of the opposite team to any position on the board you like."

"That sounds like fun," said Kaori.

"Wow," Shizuma said. "So when do we take off articles of clothing, then?"

"Uhm, sorry, but Strip Lulim Poker is only played by the upper classes," Chikaru blushed.

"Awww," said both Shizuma and Shion in disappointment.

"I forgot to tell you about the game master," said Chikaru. "That would be me. Every time a team takes a turn, I spin this little wheel. If it hits a red square, I can interfere with the game, such a changing the color of your team or resetting the chessboard to exchanging your hands. If it hits a blue square, I can make you do silly assignments on the cards here ranging from talking in a silly voice, to standing on your head. Stuff like that. If you do it, you may move a piece on the chessboard. But if my pointer hits any other color, nothing will happen."

"Amazing," said Shion. "Did you think of this yourself?"

"It's old school tradition," said Chikaru. "We basically change rules and add things all the time. No one game of Lulim Poker is the same as another. So, our teams today are... Shizuma-chan and Shion-chan. Miyuki-chan and Kaori-chan."

"I will defeat you!" challenged Shion.

"We'll see about that," Miyuki growled in response while both Kaori and Shizuma looked on with amusement.

And so started an evening of merriment.

* * *

Next time: there are certain confessions to make.


	11. Chapter 11 : 50 shades of Lulim

Hey all,

It's been a while since I've updated Opposites, but hopefully this chapter will make up for the wait a bit. It's a rather beefy one and a lot of important plot-things happen. So without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

**Opposites**

**Chapter 11 – 50 shades of Lulim**

After a long day, Chikaru stepped outside of the Lulim building as her lessons had ended for today. For some reason, she had had a rather grueling day. There had been explosions during chemistry class and, as a result, an extended course in first-aid during biology class followed directly afterward.

The rest of the day was spent making birdhouses in crafts, which resulted in various amount of creative works. Birdhouses which stood out were the wooden recreation of the Frank Lloyd Wright home, a birdhouse skyscraper consisting of 84 different bird-apartments and a Death Star birdhouse, complete with glowing lights.

Chikaru smiled at the thought - the Lulim girls were very much looking forward to going to the carnival in town. While other towns had a carnival once a year, the one at the bottom of the Hill had one every three months. This was not strange, since the Hill and the town very much had a symbiotic relationship. The town was a popular destination before curfew, and, in fact, it was the only town for miles where impossibly rich girls could spend their pocket money. As such, there were a lot of shops that catered to them; a small town in the middle of nowhere had jewelry shops, bookstores, video arcades, restaurants, disco's, icecream parlors, a roller derby and electronics stores. The town even had a store specializing in selling cellphones. Cellphones were illegal on the Hill… which meant everybody had one and had found out creative ways to hide them. But naturally, a supplier was still needed.

All in all, the town was a very popular place to bring dates. During the times of carnival even moreso.

Now that the schoolday was over, Chikaru was preparing herself for club activities. At least, that would be a more quiet time since the grand majority of the student body of all schools would be flocking to the carnival to spend their Friday evenings. In fact, Chikaru and some other students had been setting up a special club evening, in fact, for those unable to those just not going to the carnival tonight.

While ruminating about some possible activities for tonight, she walked on the path leading towards the Strawberry Dorms and encountered a group of girls from each school. Most of them were second years and they seemed to be raving about something.

"What's going on?" Chikaru asked as she managed to grab one of the girls by the arm and pulled her out of the crowd.

"Didn't you hear?" said the girl, a plucky second year from Spica, Chikaru remembered her name was Mika. "Mystic Mahomi from Kyoto is at the carnival again! She can talk to the dead! Remember the reading she did for Yumi-chan last time the carnival was here? Her dead grandmother told Yumi-chan through Mystic Mahomi that she would find true love this year. And she did! Aki-chan and Yumi-chan are so cute together!"

Chikaru rolled her eyes. She had seen this particular overpriced charlatan 'performing' at the last carnival and, judging from the squeals and raves around her, these poor girls were completely taken in. Chikaru shook her head at the thought of the pile of money 'mystic' Mahomi would make off these poor girls in the week that the carnival would be in town. She felt she had to do something.

"You do realize that's all just an act, yes?" Chikaru said. She braced herself a little; logical thinking and reasoning didn't tend to go over well with true believers. "It's flim-flam, nothing more. It's just as silly as arbitrarily assigning character traits to blood types."

Yumi shook her head. "Yes, people of your blood type are often skeptical in nature, Chikaru-san. I don't blame you for it."

Chikaru rubbed her temples. "Ugh, look, I'm just trying to say that Mystic Mahomi is nothing more than a conjurer. She can't talk to the dead, or see the future."

"Oh?" Yumi seemed skeptical. "But Mystic Mahomi knew all sorts of things about Yumi-chan. I mean, she said she would find true love and here she is with Aki-chan!"

"Really?" Chikaru said. "And young people don't meet and fall in love without a prediction being involved? It's not possible for Aki-chan and Yumi-chan to have met without 'mystic' Mahomi saying they would? In fact, everybody in town knows that girls of the Hill fall in love with each other all the time! Let me put it this way: did Mahomi mention Aki-chan by name when she told Yumi-chan she would find love?"

"Well... no," Mika frowned.

"Did Mystic Mahomi ask her a lot of questions in rapid succession?" Chikaru asked.

"Well... yes," Yumi said. "How did you know?!"

Chikaru took her by the arm and dragged her out of the group a little further so that they could talk more freely.

"Let me give you an example," Chikaru said. "Okay, I'm going to close my eyes and concentrate. I'm getting something with... an R... Do you know someone whose name begins with an R?"

Yumi shook her head.

"Okay, what about a K. Do you know someone whose name starts with a K? No? An A? An N."

"YES! YESSS!" Yumi squealed. "My grandmother was called Noriko. She died a few years ago from cancer. Oh my, how did you know that?!"

Chikaru grinned slightly. "I know that, because you just told me."

"Ey?"

"I just said a bunch of letters. And when I said 'N', it triggered you and you forgot all about the letters I got wrong before. In less than a second, I know that you had a grandmother called Noriko-san, who sadly died a few years ago from cancer. See? I'm not talking to the dead, I'm talking to *you*, "Chikaru pressed as the flabbergasted girl stared at her. "Okay, I'm seeing a house in the city...in the country? Livestock? Pets? A cat... no, no, no, a dog! Yes, did she have a dog? Or something to do with a dog?"

Yumi's eyes lit up. "Yes, YES! My grandmother had an old picture of a dog in her living room, but she replaced it shortly before her death with a picture of her family. WOW! How did you know that?"

"Easy," Chikaru shrugged. "Again, you just told me. It's a technique called cold reading. Basically, I bombard you with dozens of very basic questions and I watch your reactions and body language to see when I can redirect the line of questioning. I just keep repeating letters and..."

Mika blinked slightly, then narrowed her eyes. "Y-you're a fraud!"

Chikaru smiled and nodded. "Yes, you get it. I am a fraud. I am fooling you. I am using trickery. There's nothing paranormal or mystical about it.

"Y-you're lying!" Mika said more forcefully.

Chikaru nodded, hopeful that she would have a convert. "... that's why I'm trying to tell you! People tend to focus only on the hits and not on the misses. We started off with houses and pets and ended up with a picture! You are now focused completely on the picture and forgot all about the stuff I got wrong before that."

"No, no, no, you lie about not having true powers while in fact you DO have powers! You DO! You are channeling my grandmother!"

"W-what?!" Chikaru blanched. "What?!"

"You're trying to trick me into thinking you're not a real psychic!"

"In... in what possible universe does that made sense at all?!" Chikaru wailed in desperation. "Come on, think for a moment! You have this wonderful brain, use it!"

"YOU ARE A PSYCHIC!"

Chikaru blinked. "No, I'm trying to tell you that it's just a parlor trick! If you think back to what I just did..."

"EVERYBODY! CHIKARU-CHAN IS A PSYCHIC!"

"What?! NO!" Chikaru exclaimed.

"WHO IS A PSYCHIC?!"

"CHIKARU-CHAN!"

"TELL MY FUTURE!"

"WHEN WILL I GET MARRIED?!"

"WHERE DID MY GRANDFATHER HIDE HIS WILL?!"

"WILL AKI-CHAN AND I MAKE LOVE AFTER SUNSET THIS EVENING?!"

"Oh, crap," Chikaru blinked before wisely deciding to run away.

* * *

Inside her room, Shion was sitting at her desk dividing her time between reading a textbook and scribbling in her notebook. Shion hoped to have all her studying done today so that she could have a free weekend to relax a little and spend time with Chikaru.

Shion put down her pencil and lent back in her chair. After a full day of classes, getting a weekend's worth of studying done in just a few hours was taxing her to her limits. Thankfully, she could remain focused by keeping her eyes on the prize.

Just a slight break to fetch a glass of water, and Shion would dive into the books again. After coming out of the bathroom with her glass of water, she stopped and looked at her room. Indeed, she had gotten a room all to herself because her year had an odd number of students and, really, that suited her fine.

She'd always been a loner, but that was slowly starting to change now that she was involved with Chikaru. In fact, Chikaru was the main reason that her room now looked significantly less spartan than it had been when she had first come to the Hill. Though her only few possessions were a few books, a laptop and a picture of herself with her grandmother, Chikaru had added to the decor by lending her a few of her stuffed animals and various movie posters. It had done a lot to liven up the room.

Another positive aspect of having a private room was the prospect of... liaisons with Chikaru. Though she kept it to herself, she definitely had sexual desires for Chikaru. If their relationship would develop further, they would have a quiet place to meet. Shion found herself blushing for a bit at the thought.

Just as she was shrugging off romantic thoughts and about to go on studying, there was a frantic pounding on the door.

"Shion! SHION!" sounded Chikaru from the other side of the door. "Are you in? Please open the door!"

Shion wasted no time and did what Chikaru asked. Immediately, Shion found herself being pinned against the wall while Chikaru quickly kicked the door shut behind her.

"Ch-chikaru-chan?" Shion gulped. The situation she was in now was exactly as it had been in her most common fantasy. The only difference was that Chikaru wasn't kissing her like mad and wasn't ripping off Shion's uniform.

"Ssshhhht!" Chikaru said softly and pressed a finger on Shion's lips while a group of girls could be heard from behind the door.

"Where did she go? Let's go that way. We must find her!"

Chikaru remained silent until she was certain that the group of girls had moved on.

"Chikaru-chan?" Shion said. "What happened just now?"

"They think I'm a real psychic!" Chikaru sighed. "I bet that never happened to James Randi."

"Who's James Randi?" Shion frowned.

Chikaru took Shion by the hand and sat down on the bed with her. "An American magician and a debunker of pseudoscientific nonsense," she said and told Shion what had just happened.

Shion rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "Brave of you to try, but some people will always be sheep happily walking right into the abattoir. Unsinkable rubber ducks indeed."

"Maybe you're right," sighed Chikaru. Eager for a change of subject, Chikaru put an arm around Shion's waist and pecked her on the cheek. "Hm, I think the mob is gone. I need to get to the activity halls to help set up today's super club."

"Super club?" Shion asked.

"Me and a couple of Lulim upperclassmen are organizing a super club session for the few girls who could or would not attend on the first day. We'll just do some fun things like karaoke, mahjong, card games, costume-making, dancing, you name it."

"That's a good idea."

"If I can ever get to the activities hall with all those girls looking for me," Chikaru said.

"I think they'll head over to 'mystic' Mahomi the moment they lose your scent," Shion chuckled.

Chikaru's eyes were drawn to the pile of books and papers on Shion's desk. Shion noticed this.

"Yeah, I want to get all my homework and council work for the weekend done today," Shion shrugged. "That way, I'll be able to spend the whole weekend with you in town and at the carnival."

"Awwww," Chikaru kissed Shion on the lips. "How sweet. But don't overwork yourself."

"I just hope you don't have a lot of homework," said Shion.

"Nah," Chikaru shrugged. "Lulim teachers give us little homework if any when there's a carnival in town."

"Lucky Lulim," Shion said wryly. "If anything, we get *more* homework. I think the teachers are afraid the carnival will turn us into slackers."

Chikaru hugged her girlfriend and kissed her, "Just don't overwork yourself, hm? Mmmaybe... hmm... There's some time left before I have to be at the activities hall. We could... make out for a bit?"

Shion bit her lip. "Tempting... very tempting... but if I don't get this done tonight, we don't get to spend the day together tomorrow. And you'd feel guilty about not being there to help set up super club."

Chikaru smiled. "You are wise in the world as always, but," she closed her eyes and waved around her hands mystically. "The spirits tell me that there will be smoochies in your near future. Possibly tomorrow!"

"Hm," Shion grinned as she sat down at the desk. "That sounds rather good. I think I shall make an exception and believe the spirits. Just this once."

"Love you," Chikaru said as she slipped out of the door.

"Love you too," Shion replied just before the door closed.

At that moment, Shion could just punched herself. She found herself sitting at her desk working out the boring minutes of this week's student council meeting, while she could have been making out with Chikaru on the bed. "Idiot," Shion sighed before throwing herself on her work.

* * *

Some two hundred meters away, in the Miator section of the dorms, Miyuki found herself in a similar situation as Shion. Miyuki was pouring over some proposals from Spica which would be rather embarrassing for Miator if they were accepted by the student council. And try as she might, she could not find a way to discredit the proposal without using underhanded means.

Miyuki threw down her pen in frustration just as the door opened.

"Yo," said Shizuma as she stepped inside, still wearing her track-suit.

"Shizuma," said Miyuki as the silver-haired girl, started to lift her top over her head. "You're late," Miyuki added, looking away with a slight blush as Shizuma started to remove her pants as well.

"Spent some time chatting at the track field with some people," Shizuma said as she tossed her clothes on the bed and headed into the shower. "It's Friday, so I wasn't really in a hurry."

Miyuki found what little concentration she had left was shattered when water from the shower hit the tiles of the bathroom floor.

"I thought you and Kaori-chan would be going to the carnival today," Miyuki said.

"Huh?!" sounded from the shower.

Annoyed, Miyuki sighed and swiveled around on her chair. "I thought you and Kaori-chan would be going to the carnival today," Miyuki said again, a little louder this time.

"Nah, Kaori doesn't like bright lights and loud noises," Shizuma called back from the shower. "We'll be going to the super club and just lazy about the rest of the weekend."

"Alright," said Miyuki. And then she had it, an epiphany. The perfect, full-proof way to reject the proposal and completely embarrass Spica at the same time. Perfect, perfect, perfect! She only had to put it to paper.

It was just then that Shizuma started to sing in the shower. "All the things she said, all the things she said. Running through my head. Running through my head. Running through my head." Shizuma excelled at many things, unfortunately singing on-key was not one of them.

And just like that, this distraction had cost Miyuki her idea. It was just gone.

Miyuki just sat there for a moment and dropped an uncharacteristic F-bomb before snapping her pen in two.

"Language, language, sheesh," said Shizuma as she walked into the room with a towel wrapped around her shapely body. Shizuma walked over to the closet, dropped the towel and started to put on her bra.

"It was your fault."

"Me?"

"It's always your fault," Miyuki chuckled just as Shizuma threw on a pair of simple jeans and a T-shirt. "Besides, you say worse things."

"Still angry?" asked Shizuma. "You can't blame a girl for pushing back, you know? You've had it cushy so far, but Shion isn't a pushover."

"Shion-san humiliated me in my own arena," Miyuki growled. "You expect me to roll over and take it?"

"It's 'san', now, is it?" Shizuma replied while running a brush through her long and luxurious silver mane.

"Professional courtesy," Miyuki shrugged without looking up from her paper.

"Bullshit!" Shizuma laughed. "You're practically radiating anger and jealousy. And don't bother denying it, I've known you since you were two."

Miyuki just growled in response. "Isn't there a girl for you to molest somewhere? Go molest her vigorously and leave me alone!"

"Not really," Shizuma shrugged. "I think spending time with Kaori is more meaningful. I can always pick up any girl for some casual sex whenever I want to. I just don't want to right now."

"Hah," Miyuki smirked. "Don't think I don't hear your heavy breathing in the middle of the night."

"Hey, a girl needs to keep herself entertained and healthy," Shizuma shrugged. "And if you'd just get laid yourself, you'd feel a lot better. Here," she said while opening the drawer and lifting out an envelope. "Go write her back. Tell Gudrun you miss her. Tell Gudrun you dream about making love to her again every single night. It'll make you feel better."

Miyuki blushed violently and snatched the envelope from Shizuma's hand, put it back in the drawer and slammed it shut. "That's private!"

"Miyuki," Shizuma said. "You're my best friend and I love you. And I'm telling you: write that girl back. Of failing that, go to the carnival, flirt with a sixth year and let her take you in the forest under the moon."

Miyuki was surprised to feel two arms snaking around her waist while Shizuma parked her chin on her shoulder. "I'm not the only one breathing heavily in the middle of the night," Shizuma whispered in her ear before playfully kissing her on the cheek. "Well, I'm off. You've got the room to yourself for the rest of the evening so, feel free to 'breathe heavily' at your leisure. Ja ne!"

Miyuki watched her leave, and stared at the door for a moment after it had shut. She let out a heavy sigh. "It wasn't Gudrun I was thinking of in the middle of the night," Miyuki whispered. If she was braver, she would have told Shizuma that to her face. "Coward," she lamented to herself before focusing on her work once more. She had a Spican upstart to embarrass.

* * *

"Welcome, welcome!" Chikaru said as Shizuma and Kaori entered the activities hall. There were about thirty girls there, a small but cozy group from all three schools. Activities ranging from games, to ring-toss, to manga-reading and karaoke were taking place all around them. Shizuma wrapped an arm around Kaori's shoulder; the two girls smiled warmly at each other before stepping in.

Chikaru played the role of the host very well; she gave the two a quick tour. "I'm afraid our karaoke machine only has American 80's pop songs, but they're very nice ones. Otherwise, feel free to join in any of the activities. We're all happy to see you here."

Shizuma found this scene to be heartwarming. Most of the girls here weren't very popular, didn't have dates or girlfriends to take to the carnival or were otherwise not able to join. Megumi, from Miator, was confined to a wheelchair and a few girls from the sickbay who were not healthy enough to go the carnival were quietly chatting.

"Chikaru, you are too good for this world," Shizuma said in earnest. "Now, I heard something interesting on the rumor vine today. Something about you being chased by a horde of horny girls?"

"Well," Chikaru said. "They weren't really horny. Let me tell you what happened..."

After Chikaru told the story, Shizuma rubbed her chin. "Huh, weird," she said. "So they thought you're a psychic?"

"Yeah," Chikaru laughed. "I bet that never happened to James Randi."

Shizuma blinked. "Who's James Randi?"

A disappointed groan came from Chikaru's mouth. "Why does nobody here know who James Randi is? He's so awesome."

"I know who he is!" Kaori smiled while the three girls made their way towards the karaoke machine. "Long after I was first diagnosed with my condition, I was about twelve at the time, my mom became so sad and desperate. She took me to a lot of faith healers for a while before I told her I was only going to those faith healers because I thought it would upset her if I didn't go. I thought I could spend my last years on this Earth in better ways than hanging above incense for hours."

"Wise," said Chikaru. "Was your mom okay with it?"

"She meant well, but," Kaori smiled. "It took me quoting from a James Randi book to get her to see reason."

"Well, we'll have none of that today," Shizuma said. "Today, we'll have fun, music and maybe a little dancing if you feel up for it."

"Do I!" Kaori's smile could melt the polar icecaps.

"Shall I get us some drinks?" Shizuma asked.

"No, no, no," Chikaru said as she sat the two friends down on the chairs near the karaoke machine. "You two sit down and enjoy each other's company. I will fetch your drinks."

And so the evening began. After spending half an hour at the ring-toss game, Shizuma and Kaori chatted softly while Chikaru attended to her guests, making sure none of the girls at the super club was being ignored. Eventually, Chikaru found herself standing next to the karaoke machine, adding her voice to the music of The Final Countdown. After the song ended, a slower, more romantic song started.

As Chikaru continued the song in her beautiful singing voice, girls spontaneously paired up for a slow dance. Shizuma smiled and extended her hand to a happy Kaori. The taller girl hoisted Kaori to her feet, wrapped an arm around her waist and led the dance.

_In my life there's been heartache and pain_

_I don't know if I can face it again_

_Can't stop now, I've traveled so far_

_To change this lonely life._

Chikaru sang to the music and Shizuma and Kaori twirled with the music, stepping back and forth. It took a few tries for Kaori to pick it up, but she was a quick study. Kaori pressed herself against Shizuma and simply enjoyed the moment. Then it happened!

_I wanna know what love is!_

Shizuma and Kaori locked eyes and found themselves unable to move. Shizuma drank in the sight of Kaori in front of her. Sweet, Innocent, Beautiful. Kaori.

_I want you to show me!_

Kaori blushed brightly as she lost herself as well. Free. Passionate. Courageous. Shizuma.

_I wanna feel what love is!_

Their breath quickened, their hearts pounded in their chests. Their eyes still locked, the two girls were utterly stunned.

_**I know you can show me!**_

Shizuma and Kaori finally pushed each other way, not daring to look at each other. It actually took Shizuma a few moments to recover and wondered what the hell had just happened. Kaori was apparently in a similar state. They sat out the remainder of the song on the bench looking straight ahead, not daring to look at each other.

"Okay," Chikaru said as she punched a few buttons on the Karaoke Machine. "Next song!"

Finally, Shizuma dared to turn to Kaori. "Kaori?" she asked, startling the smaller girl. "Want to dance again?" she asked with a lump in her throat.

Kaori blushed, but took Shizuma's hand. The two went back to the dance floor, a little more apprehensive about it. Subconsciously, the two girls kept a little distance between them this time, while Chikaru started singing.

_I've been waiting for a girl like you, to come into my life..._

"Oh, you're doing this on purpose!" Shizuma challenged Chikaru harshly.

"Who? Me? What?" Chikaru replied, trying to look innocent in a rather unconvincing way. While Kaori withdrew to her seat in silence, Shizuma crossed her armed and aimed a confrontational posture at her.

"Okay, you're my friend, but what are you trying to pull here?" Shizuma narrowed her eyes.

Figuring she had been caught, Chikaru decided it was for the best that she'd come clean. "I wanted to help you both."

Shizuma raised an eyebrow. "Help us?"

"Don't you get it, you're in love with Kaori-chan. Everybody sees that except the two of you. I thought that maybe if I could set the mood I could... prod you along," Chikaru shrugged.

Shizuma sighed heavily. "Ridiculous. I know my own feelings. I know my own mind," Shizuma retorted. "You are my friend, Chikaru, but..." she said, after putting a hand on Chikaru's shoulder. "Mind you own goddamn business! I don't appreciate being 'prodded along'!"

Chikaru gulped and nodded. The argument was beginning to attract attention and both Chikaru and Shizuma were not willing to ruin the good time of the other girls.

"Are we still friends?" Chikaru asked hesitantly while looking away.

"Look," Shizuma sighed, but offered a weak smile. "I'm not angry, I'm just... surprised. We'll talk about this some other time, I just... need to get out of here."

"I understand," Chikaru said. "And I'm sorry."

The silver-haired beauty strode over where Kaori was sitting. Kaori had been equally shaken by the sudden experience and dared not look Shizuma in the eye.

"So, uh," Shizuma muttered, almost a whisper. "S-shall I walk you to the dorms?"

"I... I'll be fine, I'll..." Kaori closed her eyes. "I'll walk to the dorms on my own in a little bit."

"You sure?" Shizuma asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Having witnessed this awkward exchange, Chikaru severely regretted wanting to manipulate Shizuma and Kaori into admitting their obvious love for each other. Not only had it backfired spectacularly, she had risked her friendship with both of them. After watching Shizuma and Kaori leave separately, Chikaru forced a smile on her face and did what she could: attend the girls that were still left at the super club and push her down doubts away for the sake of the other girls at the club. But she wasn't happy about it.

* * *

Saturday morning, and Miyuki was, as usual, the first to rise. Ever the energetic girl, she swung her legs out of bed and strode right over to curtains to throw them open. The sun poured into the room, garnering an immediate reaction from Shizuma, who groaned loudly and rolled herself into her duvet.

"Up, up, sleepyhead," Miyuki laughed and patted Shizuma on the rump before heading into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. After having changed into the slacks, she came out fully expecting Shizuma to crawl out of bed, hurling insults. However, she found Shizuma still rolled in her duvet.

Miyuki sighed, grabbed the duvet and yanked it away sharply. She was startled to find Shizuma fully dressed and rather pale. There were obvious bags underneath her eyes and her hair was a mess.

"Shizuma?" Miyuki asked. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Shizuma retorted sharply and let out a yawn.

"Did you have a late night? I didn't hear you come in yesterday?"

"I barely slept at all," Shizuma whispered as she smushed her head into her pillow to keep the sun out. Miyuki quickly walked over to the window to close the drapes and sat down next to the bed.

"You haven't been drinking have you?" Miyuki asked.

"If I *had* been drinking, don't you think I would have slept better?" Shizuma spat back. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

Miyuki nodded. "Don't you have to go have breakfast with Kaori-chan in a few minutes?"

"No," Shizuma replied, and Miyuki noted a mixture of disappointment and fear in Shizuma's voice. Whatever was on Shizuma's mind, it was driving her crazy. "I've been up all night... thinking."

"About what?" Miyuki asked.

"Things that are private," Shizuma said sharply before reaching over to pick the duvet off the ground and wrapping it around her again.

"Alright," said Miyuki. "Do you want me to bring you anything? Or do something for you?"

"I'll be fine," Shizuma said. "I just need to think... and rest... Just let me sleep her for a moment. It's Saturday."

Miyuki nodded. "Alright. But if you want to talk, my door is always open."

"I know. Thank you, Miyuki. You've always been a wonderful friend."

"Okay, now I *know* something is up."

"I have to sort this out for myself."

Now, Miyuki had seen Shizuma in broody moods before, but never as badly as this. She knew Shizuma well enough that she wouldn't want to talk; Shizuma never wanted to talk about her feelings. So she did the only thing she could do; she decided to leave her alone, but did promise her to bring up some breakfast to their room later.

And so Shizuma was left alone. However, she didn't find sleep or rest. She tossed and turned in bed as thoughts and doubts continued to assault her. Eventually, she let out a groan of frustration and jumped out of bed. After a quick wash-up, she tossed on an old pair of jeans, threw a shirt over her head and practically ran out the door.

Shizuma left the dorms and sought the solitude of the forest. The day was balmy, yet there was a cool breeze. And because most of the student body was at the carnival, there was little chance of running into someone. It was perfect for her needs.

She didn't exactly walk, but her stride was a mixture of stomping and strutting. Lost in thought, she muttered her way through the forest. "In love? Me? Hah, ridiculous," she told herself as she stomped on. "With Kaori? Kaori?! She's my friend. Nothing more. I'm Hanazono Shizuma, I'm not made for love. I'm not made for relationships! Free love Shizuma, that's me. Girl-hunter extraordinaire. One look, one kiss, one touch and she's mine forever... Kaori..."

Finding that her brain was guiding her thoughts in an undesired direction, Shizuma let out an agonized grunt. "Okay, okay," she stopped in her tracks. "I like Kaori. She is nice. She is my friend. And that's okay, because I'm not in love with her. I like spending time with Kaori. Because she's clever, and kind and genuinely fun to be with. And it's okay to spend time with a friend, because I'm not in love with her. Hah, the mere thought alone. I can't have a friend I like and not be in love with her? Hah, preposterous."

Shizuma continued her stomping through the forest in a straight until her path crossed civilization. She passed the library and meant to head into the forest beyond, in the process nearly knocking over Ruri, a Miator fourth year who was taking a break from rearranging the books. Shizuma apologized, the two started talking, talking turned to flirting and flirting turned into passionate kissing, fondling and undressing.

Shizuma grinned wickedly as her hand slipped down the front of Ruri's panties, making the other girl throw her head back in ecstasy... revealing the creamy white skin of her neck for licking and kissing. And after being thoroughly satisfied by her gentle touch, Shizuma was only too happy to accept Ruri's eagerness to return the favor.

After some time lazying about in the library holding each other, Shizuma left Ruri after a last kiss goodbye and stepped outside. She had figured a good old-fashioned shag against the book-stacks in the library would clear her mind, and for a small while, it did. However, soon enough, all the thoughts and doubts returned twofold a little later, mixed with something else just as terrifying: guilt.

Guilt because during the sex with Ruri, she had been constantly fantasizing about having sex with a certain someone else.

"Argh, this is ridiculous!" Shizuma wailed. "Okay, I'm not in love with Kaori. Not at all. I've had sex with countless girls before and I was never in love with any of them. I've fantasized about having sex with friends before and I was never in love with them. This is ridiculous!"

She had been walking so long that the sun was actually starting to set, and for the first time, she was starting to notice just how much lack of sleep mixed with the strenuous activity of walking all day was taking its toll. Her legs were aching and she didn't even want to think about the blisters on her feet. Shizuma decided it was time to get back to the dorms and sleep for a week. That is, if her brain would allow her to sleep.

Kaori, Kaori, Kaori, Kaori...

"Goddammit, brain! I swear, I'm going to get a coathanger, fold it open and stab it up my nose repeatedly!" Shizuma wailed. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Kaori. Whenever she heard no sounds, she heard Kaori. Whenever she was alone, she whispered Kaori's name.

"ARGH!" Shizuma shouted and violently punched the nearest tree, instantly regretting it because she spent the next five minutes fishing bits of sharp bark from her now bloodied hand.

She grimaced as she wrapped her handkerchief around her knuckles. Perhaps a visit to the nurse's office was in order before going to bed. She just hoped this wouldn't warrant a tetanus shot.

Just then, she heard a scream coming from the distance.

* * *

Kaori was tired. Then again, Kaori was often tired. In this case, however, she had been tired because she had been looking for Shizuma. The young girl dreaded having to do it, but she felt it was best to talk about what happened yesterday. As such, she had been looking for Shizuma. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

Literally nobody had seen her all day, so she suspected Shizuma had gone to the carnival with the other 95% of the student body. Seriously, Astraea Hill resembled a ghost town today.

Kaori sighed and decided to return to the Dorms for a rest. The young girl was quite aware of Shizuma's reputation around school and her romantic tastes. Her silver-haired friend had been open and honest about her sexual preferences from the very start and Kaori respected that.

She heard a few footsteps approaching her and she started for a moment when three girls stepped in her path. Kaori didn't recognize any of them, but from their uniforms, two were from Spica and one from Miator. All were third years and all were angry.

"Yes?" Kaori asked timidly as she wondered why on Earth these girls she did not know would be angry at her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can," said one girl who stepped forward, a spican girl who appeared to be the ring-leader. The two others approached from her side and crossed their arms defiantly. Now being surrounded, Kaori felt increasingly uneasy.

"Stay away from Shizuma-sama!" said the ring-leader as she gave Kaori a violent shove. The raven-haired girl yelped as she lost her footing and fell into one of the other girls. The girl was expecting this, brace herself, and shoved Kaori forward again, towards the third girl. The third girl then shoved her again, towards the ringleader.

"Please!" Kaori cried out. "I haven't done anything to you!"

"Oh, you've done plenty!" snarled the ringleader. "Shizuma-sama is spending so much time with you. Time she's *not* spending with us. Ever since she's met you, she's hardly been spending any time with anyone else."

"Has she kissed you yet?" said the second girl before shoving her into the ground. "Or has she gone all the way with you in the forest at night?"

"I... I..." Kaori stammered, feeling her body starting to protest against this treatment. She felt her heart beating rapidly while her vision started to cloud. Unfortunately, the girls apparently mistook this reaction as a nervous admission.

"Don't worry, she'll dump you soon," grinned the third girl.

"Yeah," said the ringleaders. "Shizuma-sama likes smart girls with big boobs."

"She likes girls who can please her," the second girl chuckled. "I doubt you could keep up with her."

"Yeah, you're skinny and sickly and disgusting!" the ring leader said as she turned Kaori on her back, pinned her down and started slapping her in the face repeatedly. "Stay away from our Shizuma-sama, you can't take her away from us! Not a skinny little chit like you!"

Kaori closed her eyes and braced herself for another blow to her face. It never came.

With her eyes closed, she heard a fourth person approaching rapidly from the distance. Kaori whimpered inwardly, expecting it to be another person who would torment her. Meanwhile, her body started to protest even harder. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe.

Suddenly, however, she felt the pressure leave her chest as the girl who was sitting on top of her was violently shoved away, while the other girls gasped in shock. Kaori dared to open her eyes, and was relieved and overjoyed to see her her friend Shizuma, just as she broke a tree branch against the back of one of the girls. Shizuma gently knelt by Kaori and supported her back while sitting her up. The silver-haired girl's eyes flashed with anger as she regarded the ringleader.

"Karin," Shizuma said harshly. "Whatever relationship you deluded yourself into thinking we had is now over with. I never want to see you again. If you cross my path in the future, you *will* regret it."

"Shizuma-sama, I... I..." the ring-leader choked up. "I love you! We love you!"

"It's not fair!" sniffed another girl. "What do you see in her?"

"What does she have that we don't?!" the third girl cried in desperation.

"Begone! Out of my sight! All of you!" Shizuma shouted.

Amidst tears, the three girls ran off into the woods towards the dorms. Kaori could easily tell Shizuma wasn't eager to see any of them again.

Just then, Kaori hissed in pain. Her chest seized and she ground into the forest floor in a fetal position. Her muscles stiffened, then convulsed. Pain shot through every fiber of her being as her body started shaking heavily.

"Kaori!" Shizuma shouted as she sat next to her. Panic was evident in Shizuma's voice. "Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, what do I do?! What do I do?!"

"Pills," Kaori hissed through gritted teeth. "Pills."

Shizuma sat there for a moment, staring like a deer in the headlights before realizing what Kaori was saying. The silver-haired beauty shot up and quickly started looking for the purse which Kaori always carried around. It was a black, velvet purse with a pink cartoon kitty on side. Her grandmother had made it for her as a gift for her fifteenth birthday... a birthday the doctors said she would never live to see.

Apparently she had dropped it while the three girls assaulted her, as Shizuma took a few long agonizing moments to actually find it on the dirt path.

"Found it," Shizuma shouted as she ran back to Kaori. "Oh, shit, shit, there's an entire medicine cabinet in here!"

"Red ones," Kaori hissed in terrible agony. "In the small brown bottle."

Shizuma turned the bag upside down and out came almost two dozen bottles with different medicines. The older girl frantically searched through the pile of bottles. "Found it!" she said. yanking the top off. "How many?"

"T-three," said Kaori.

Shizuma nodded and gently propped up the shivering Kaori. "Hold my mouth close," she stammered. Kaori was used to living with pain, but seizures like this always made her feel like her insides were on fire. The pain was fast becoming unbearable and she feared she might pass out soon. Luckily, Shizuma complied. The old girl forced the pills into her mouth and helped her drink some water from a small flask. It was hard to keep the water and pills inside her mouth, but, doing as she was told, Shizuma clamped her hand over her mouth, forcing her to swallow.

The pills and the water found their mark. After a hefty coughing fit, Kaori felt her body relax. The pain did not subside as much, though, she would need to take more pills for that, but the immediate danger had passed and Kaori found herself being held by Shizuma. Sweet, smiling Shizuma.

Shizuma's smell, her warmth, the softness of her voice. It was soothing for Kaori. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so safe.

"Shit," said Shizuma as her eyes started to water. "Don't scare me like that."

Shizuma was crying now. Crying and smiling. She was used to seeing people close to her cry. Her mother, her grandmother, her grandfather. Sometimes they smiled too, but those were not genuine smiles, but rather to keep a brave face on. Kaori had seen it so often she recognized it immediately. But this was different, completely different.

Her muscles were still sore from the sudden convulsions, but Kaori mustered up enough strength to raise a hand to Shizuma's cheek. She lay her palm on her cheek and smiled as she used her thumb to wipe the tears away.

"Don't cry," Kaori said. "It's over now. I know it's scary to see me having a seizure, but we got there in time. Don't worry, I'm used to it."

"H-how," Shizuma sobbed slightly, more from the shock than sadness. "How do you ever get used to something like that?"

Kaori offered a wry lopsided smile. "I sorta have no choice," she said. "It's a symptom of my... condition."

"You say that so easily," Shizuma sniffed.

"The moment I start feeling sorry for myself," Kaori said honestly, "I give in to my condition. I won't do that. I want to enjoy what time I still have, not spend those precious moments wallowing in self-pity."

Shizuma's gentle face twisted in rage. "Those bitches! If I get my hands on them, they'll..."

"They didn't know this would happen," Kaori said. "Don't blame them for it."

"You're right," Shizuma said angrily. "It's not their fault, it's mine!"

"Yours?"

"Yes, that's right," Shizuma said. "I'm the one who jumped into bed with them. I'm the one who led them on into thinking there was more to our relationships than casual sex. Because, guess what, I wanted to keep the door open for even more casual sex... with *all* of them!"

"Sssh," Kaori said, feeling the need to lighten the mood. "You're not responsible for their actions. Now give me the kind, smiling Shizuma back, please."

"Sorry," Shizuma sighed.

Shizuma smiled again and looked Kaori in the eyes. Something seemed to change in the air, time seemed to freeze. Kaori was transfixed as Shizuma's face slowly, very slowly seemed to come towards her. Her heart started to pound in her chest for some reason as she came closer and closer.

Kaori had no idea what was going on, nor why she was getting so nervous, until Shizuma's impossibly soft lips touched hers.

Her body stiffened, her eyes grew wide in shock as she felt Shizuma's arms wrap around her waist. Agonizingly slowly, she felt the tip of Shizuma's tongue pushing against her lips, gently parting them. All sort of wonderful sensations came over her when Shizuma's tongue touched her own.

Then it hit her. This was Kaori's very first kiss.

And it was fantastic.

Kaori didn't really know what to do at first, or how to respond to Shizuma's gentle probing. Once Kaori snapped out of her kiss-induced stupor, she decided to try a few things. She pushed her own tongue forward, letting it slide along Shizuma's. This was enthusiastically received by Shizuma, who intensified her assault by twirling her tongue and holding Kaori a little tighter.

All pain was forgotten in that moment. A lock of impossibly soft silver hair fell down and caressed Kaori's cheek. Kaori could feel Shizuma's warmth as her soft body pressed against her. Once Kaori realized this, she gently let her hands roam over Shizuma's back. This was also enthusiastically received. Kaori felt a soft and gentle hand run through her hair.

Though the seizures had left her completely exhausted, this wonderful kiss was fast replenishing her energy.

And just like that, it was over.

Kaori almost groaned in disappointment as Shizuma withdrew her tongue and released her. "Well," Shizuma said. "I..."

Shizuma never got the chance to finish her sentence. She lashed out, wrapped her arms around Shizuma and pulled the taller girl down for more kissing. Kaori never thought she would be attracted to a girl, nor that a girl could be attracted to her. But Kaori was not someone to waste her precious time on such artificial distinctions. She kissed Shizuma hungrily, eager to experience more.

After an eternity, they broke their second kiss.

"I love you," Shizuma whispered softly. The admission, her own words startled her. It was clear in her face. "I love you," Shizuma repeated, as if feeling the need to reaffirm herself. "I..." Shizuma whispered softly. "I love you. I love you, Kaori. I want you to be with me. I want to be your girlfriend. I want you to love me back."

The words hit her like a truckload of bricks. Kaori had found peace with having a short life, but lamented on missing out what other people often took for granted. Never had Kaori expected that there would be time to find love.

But was she in love? Shizuma was her friend, she enjoyed her company, she admired her free and independent spirit. Kaori watched Shizuma's smiling face, her cheeks flustered and her silver-hair disheveled. Shizuma had always been up front about her reputation, but she had also admitted that she had never been in love. This was quite an admission, and undoubtedly unfamiliar terrain for her.

And after that kiss... Kaori wanted nothing more than to explore that unfamiliar terrain together.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Kaori whispered.

A third, even more passionate kiss followed.

"Shizuma?"

"Hm?"

"I think we owe Chikaru-chan an apology."

"That we do."

* * *

The sun was already setting, but the carnival was still more than lively. As the daylight was slowly being vanquished by the dark of night, the many colorful lights of the carnival lit up. The volume of the music was lessened somewhat for the sake of the town's inhabitants, but the girls of the Hill were in no way less enthused.

The food and the Cotton Candy stand were currently most heavily visited, as most girls had skipped their evening meals. Chikaru and Shion were two of these girls, having spent the most of the afternoon at the carnival. Normally a large park, there were plenty of empty benches away from the noisy stands to find quiet moments. Several couples had chosen these benches to make out on, even.

"Here you go," said Shion as she handed a freshly fried Korokke to Chikaru. Chikaru smiled and took it while Shion sat down next to her. "Has the ambulance left yet? I didn't see it go."

"Yeah," Chikaru shook her head. "I told Miharu-san to stay away from the shooting gallery. She has notoriously bad aim."

"How did she manage to hit someone who was standing behind her while she took the shot?" wondered Shion.

"Nobody knows," Chikaru sighed. "Nobody knows."

Shion, having exchanged her prim and proper uniform for a more casual set of clothes, stared at Chikaru for a while and put an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. "Alright," she said. "What's going on?"

"Hm?"

"Don't 'hm?' me, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Shion said. "You've been quiet all evening. What's going on?"

Chikaru sighed. Shion could be perceptive at times and she seemed especially attuned to Chikaru's moods. "Well," said Chikaru. "I screwed up royally yesterday. I was trying to help Shizuma-sama and Kaori-chan connect and maybe even admit their feelings for each other."

Shion chuckled. "It's so obvious Shizuma-sama is in love with her, it almost painful to watch her flounder like that."

"Love is a new terrain for Shizuma-sama," said Chikaru. "I tried to brute-force the issue and it failed. I fear I might have driven them further apart. I don't know, maybe I should just mind my own business more often. I just hope I haven't ruined our friendship."

"I think," Shion said softly while kissing the top of her girlfriend's head. "You're being too hard on yourself. And Shizuma-sama... well, she's kind of person who'll be your friend for life if you treat her well. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about."

"Thanks," Chikaru lay her head on Shion's shoulder for a moment.

The two girls sat together for a moment after eating their korokkes, simply enjoying each other's company. "Hey," Shion suddenly said. "I have an idea. Come with me."

Shion led Chikaru to the Ferris wheel at the edge of the carnival. It was about twenty meters high and girls were already getting on for the next ride. Shion paid for all four seats in the booth and led Chikaru onto the wheel. They sat together quietly as the wheel raised up ever so often as all the booths were filled. Soon the ride would begin.

Or it would have, were it not for a sudden power failure.

Every single light of the entire carnival went out. Gone was the music. Gone were the tooting horns from the many stands. Aside from the sounds of girls murmuring far below, the only sounds which could be heard were the chirping of the cicada's and the rush of the ocean in the distance.

"Well," Chikaru said. "That was to be expected."

"How so?" Shion asked.

"Didn't you see the power distribution point? I'm no electrician, but stuffing over fifty plugs into a single power node isn't the best of ideas," Chikaru said.

"Look, we're actually the top booth," Shion said.

Chikaru could only nod in agreement. The view was rather spectacular. The Hill was behind them and the ferris wheel was overlooking the now darkened town and the ocean in the distance.

"Rather romantic, hm?" Chikaru smiled gently.

"Oh, is that a hint?" Shion smirked.

"Come here before I hit you," Chikaru laughed before leaning in for a kiss.

"You do look lovely tonight," Chikaru smiled after they broke the kiss.

Shion frowned slightly. "I... I don't look different than I usually do. I feel..."

"Don't talk yourself down so much," Chikaru smiled.

"Heh," Shion chuckled. "Just a few minutes ago, I was the one cheering up you. How did we get here?"

"We stepped on a ferris wheel."

"Haw, haw," Shion smiled. "And look where it got us."

* * *

An hour later, around midnight, Shion and Chikaru had returned to the dorms. Shion, still miffed about what had happened, was complaining hard enough to be heard on the other side of the hallway.

"Dammit," Shion said again. "I mean, I can understand that the fireman was only doing his job, but I was not wounded nor on fire. I don't understand why he had to sling me over his shoulder. I am not a helpless damsel, I know how to climb a ladder!"

Chikaru laughed briefly. "What you just said was so Spica. I think he didn't expect you to berate him."

"Mind you, it was cute to see you get all disappointed about the haunted house," Shion said. "Did you know you have the cutest pout I've ever seen?"

Chikaru sighed, and once again displayed the cute pout. "I dunno. I was really looking forward to it, but it's just that a sheet on a rope just doesn't cut it anymore."

"With all the stuff you read and watch, you're probably pretty desensitized as it is," Shion said.

"That haunted house needed a creepy girl climbing up from a well," Chikaru laughed.

They finally arrived at Shion's room and stopped as Shion slipped the key in the lock and twisted it.

"Well..."

"Well..."

"W-would you like to come in?" Shion asked. "I have a water-cooker in my room. We could have a cup of tea to finish the evening."

"Hm, that would be lovely," Chikaru said and followed Shion into the room. Shion scrambled to turn on a desklamp, hitting her knee against the desk. After setting up the water-cooker, preparing the tea and the cups, they sat down on the floor on a pillow in front of a low table Shion produced from underneath her bed.

"Here you go," Shion told Chikaru before handing her her cup.

Chikaru took the cup and put it to her lips. "Thank you," she said before taking a sip.

The two drank their tea. It was quickly finished.

"Are you really alright living here alone?" Chikaru asked.

"It's not so bad," Shion replied, her nervousness increasing.

Chikaru frowned as she put down her tea. "Shion-chan? Is something wrong?"

Shion took a deep breath, put down her cup and gently took Chikaru's hands. "Chikaru-chan, I..."

"What is it?" Chikaru said with some concern.

"Chikaru-chan, I..." Shion was almost hyperventilating now. "W-would you... like to... spend the night with me?"

Chikaru stiffened slightly, gulping a bit as she was finding it hard to breath. "I, uh, I..."

"It's okay if you don't want to," Shion said quickly. "I... I mean, I..."

"Shion," Chikaru whispered softly. "I... I've been thinking about this a lot lately."

"Y-you have?" Shion was genuinely surprised.

"Y-yes," Chikaru said. "I think I'm... ready for this."

Shion went from blush to blanche in less than a second. "Y-you are?"

Chikaru trembled slightly. "I... guess so. So... how do we start?"

Shion took a few deep breaths. "I... suppose we lie down on the bed first?"

A few seconds later, both were lying on the bed next to each other, stiff as a board and staring at the ceiling.

"Okay," Shion said. "So far so good. So... what do we do now?"

"I... I..." Chikaru swallowed harshly. "I think we should... take our clothes off."

"Oh?" Shion blinked. "OH!"

Embarrassed and somewhat frightened, the girls crawled underneath the duvet and slowly removed their clothing, making sure the other girl couldn't see what was happening. A few minutes later, they were once again lying on the next to each other, still stiff as a board and still staring at the ceiling. The only difference now was that they were naked and underneath the duvet.

"What happens next?" Chikaru asked as both girls blushed wildly.

"I... I suppose we kiss?" Shion suggested.

"T-that sounds about right."

The girls turned to each other, but embarrassment quickly won out. Once again, they were staring at the ceiling.

"This is silly, we've make out on this bed loads of times!"

"But we weren't naked!"

Gently, ever so gently, Shion and Chikaru turned to their sides, making sure that the duvet covered up their bodies. Without moving their bodies towards each other, they craned their necks towards each other in such a way that it made for a very awkward kiss.

"I guess we need to move closer to each other," Shion bit her lip.

"You first."

"No, you."

"Okay, on the count of three, we move together."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

The girls shuffled their bodies towards each other until they touched underneath the duvet. Both Shion and Chikaru gasped as their skin met. Their hearts pounded in their throat as their lips touched. The was something so much more intense to this kiss than the many they have had before. Slowly shedding the embarrassment, the girls embraced tightly and kissed even deeper.

The ball really started rolling when Chikaru took Shion's hand and put it on her breast. Shion's breath caught in her throat as she gently caressed the softness underneath her fingertips.

Shion and Chikaru made love. They found out pretty quickly in that reading about it does not compare to actually doing it. First of all, experiencing it was much, much, much better than reading about it. Secondly, there was much more fumbling about than there was in the books. Oh boy was there fumbling. However, the girls were eager to experiment.

At one point or another, Chikaru banged her head against the headboard, Shion fell out of bed which led to loads of giggling, and they managed to twist the duvet around their bodies, forcing them to disentangle themselves before continuing.

After a short break holding each other, the loving making started anew. And both girls immediately noticed that the second time went a lot better than the first time. With all insecurity and embarrassment completely shed, the two girls were free to make love with all possible enthusiasm. Words of love mixed with sighs of pleasure until deep into the night.

The next morning, Chikaru was the first to wake up and found herself being clutched by a sleeping Shion. The sun warmed them as they lay underneath the duvet, while Chikaru gently started to rub Shion's hair.

A few years ago, Chikaru would never have expected to be in a relationship with a girl and last night, she had lost her virginity to one. A girl which she happened to love, even. She chuckled to herself; those oh so unwelcome sex tips her mom had given her months ago certainly came in handy last night, but she certainly wasn't planning to tell her mother.

Shion stirred in her sleep. She groaned, stretched and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," Chikaru whispered.

"Hi," Shion replied as she settled against Chikaru. "So... last night wasn't a dream?"

"I sure hope not," Chikaru grinned as the two girls kissed.

"I love you, Chikaru-chan," Shion said.

Chikaru smiled. "I love you too, Shion-koi."

Shion blinked, but then smiled. "Shion-koi. I like that."

"Hm," said Chikaru. "It's Sunday. No classes, no commitments."

"No homework or studying anymore," Shion bit her lip. "Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

"Cheeky," Chikaru grinned as both girls giggled and slipped underneath the duvet.

* * *

All is well. For now, at least.


End file.
